Reverbratums Over Six Year Single Tenure

The proposal for a six year single tenure may not be the panacea for the multi-faceted problems Africa’s largest democracy faces today, yet it can go a long way to cut short the reign of leaders with tyrannical tendencies.

Again, the proposal tends to play to the gallery because, it is one way of enabling the various tribes across the nation to have a shot at the country’s highest office. But there is no guarantee that the leaders will be the best the nation can afford.

Apologists of tribal rule believe it will assuage the pains of many ethnic groups that have been marginalised for decades.

Speaking with The Tide, Chijoke Agi, a human right lawyer based in Port Harcourt, said “the six year single tenure appears to be what everybody wants but some times the majority may be wrong.”

According to him, “you see, we have just amended our constitution, the passage of the six-year single tenure will definitely lead to another amendment of our constitution. We cannot continue to amend our constitution to suit the whims and caprices of those who are in power. Our constitution is a rigid one and quite difficult to amend.”

The Port Harcourt based lawyer stated that proposed six-year single tenure was needless. He regretted that because the country was cursed with a plethora of bad leaders, people were asking for the shortening of the evil days.

He noted that our democracy was a developing one and predicted that good times were around the corner.

Agi pointed out that when good leaders were enthroned, it was natural that would ask for the elongation of their tenures.

The Port Harcourt lawyer cited the Bible, “when the righteous rule the people rejoice,” and warned that Nigerians should not allow sentiments to becloud their vision.

He said good leaders would only be enthroned if Nigerians jettisoned parochial tribal sentiments.

Also, speaking, Samuel Akpekun, a Markurdi-based lawyer, noted that the six-year single tenure would do nobody any good. He said that somebody who did well in the first tenure deserved a second tenure.

According to him, “you see, the single tenure will not be enough to execute meaningful projects. We must not sacrifice our national interest for selfish gains.”

He said that there was nothing wrong with our constitution and remarked that most democracies of the world allowed a second tenure for political office holders that performed creditably.

Mr. Akpekun noted that Nigerians should ensure that our elections are not rigged so that credible leaders could be elected.

The Makurdi-based lawyer stated it would not be proper to deny a good leader of a worthwhile opportunity to give the people the best.

“In America, the UK and other large democracies second tenure is usally on merit, any leader that has done well get a second tenure. But the unfortunate thing in this country is that bad leaders also get a second tenure either by hook or by crook simply because our votes don’t count,” he said.

The lawyer called on Nigerians to discountenance the six-year single tenure proposal but to muster their strength towards freerer and fairer elections in the country.

Another lawyer who spoke with The Tide, Obinna Worlu, remarked that the proposal for the single tenure was ill-conceived and parochial.

The lawyer stated that the problem with Nigeria was not how long the tenure was but that of bad leadership.

“In a country ruled by bad leaders, the only thing that is expected is that people will like their tenure to be shortlived. This is exactly what the single tenure seems to suggest, but we cannot sacrifice excellence at the alter of mediocrity. Once, we evolve electoral system that is able to tackle the problem of rigging, we can rest assured that good leaders will be enthroned,” Worlu stated.

The Port Harcourt-based lawyer asked government to rise up to the occasion and tackle the challenges that confront the nation such as Boko Haram, the state of the economy, and infrastructural decay instead of engaging in diversionary tactics.

He said the debate over the six year single tenure was unnecessary at a time when the nation was facing the threat of Boko Haram.

Worlu urged Jonathan to write his name on marbles by tackling the perennial power problem instead of uncalled disputations.

He pointed out that Nigerians were not tired of the two tenures but the monotony of bad leadership and noted that any change geared towards tackling bad leadership would be worthwhile.

“The problem with Nigeria is neither the content of our constitution nor the two tenures of eight years but the mentality of our leaders. Nigeria is seen as a national cake therefore, every tribe and tongue must get a worthy junk. So everybody wants his country man to be there so that he can have access to the cake. This is the true situation and we cannot pretend  about it,” the legal practitioner stated.

“Whether we shorten or elongate the tenure does not matter. What matters is who is there. The psyche of our leaders is what matters.

He said the constitution was recently amended and pointed out that the change required was that of putting square pegs on square holes.

Nevertheless, another Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Jackson Assor, praised Jonathan for the six-year single tenure.

According to him, “power belong to the people. If the people through their representatives believe that the six year tenure will do the magic so be it, but if they feel otherwise, the ball is  in their court.

However, Assor stated that if there would be a six year single tenure, the incumbent government would not be part of it.

The lawyer remarked that the proactive laws were bad laws. He praised Jonathan for the April 2011 election, which he described as the first of its kind in recent times.

The Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner implored Nigerian leaders to leave a worthy legacy for the people.

On the constitutional amendment that would occasion the six year single tenure, he opined that the constitution would continue to be amended until the desired result is achieved.

Chidi Enyie