Politics
Rotational Presidency Good For Nigeria – Okupe
A former Director-General of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, has said the proposed single-tenure rotational presidency is a great idea for a developing country like Nigeria.
Dr Okupe, a former presidential spokesman, who made the statement during an interview yesterday in Lagos, however, said it should not be approached hastily.
A bill seeking a single-term of six years for president and state governors was brought up recently by 35 members of the House of Representatives.
The bill also canvasses the rotation of the presidency among the six geo-political zones of the country.
Mexico is one of the few countries in the world operating a six-year single tenure presidency.
In his reaction, Dr Okupe, a former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), said that many things were wrong with the 1999 Constitution despite the amendments it has undergone.
“I don’t think we should do this kind of reform (constitutional amendment) in a haphazard manner. There is so much that is wrong with the constitution we are operating. There is so much confusion and contradiction in the 1999 Constitution as prescribed and handed over to us by the military. I would rather have us have a holistic approach to this reform or amendment. The six year single tenure for president and governors is okay in a developing nation like this and I have no objection to it. Yes, it is good we can have a six-year single tenure rotational presidency. However, the rotational part should be clearly stated in the constitution among the six zones,” Dr Okupe said.
He said that the National Assembly should not just review the tenure alone, but must go ahead and do many other reforms, especially in the electoral system.
According to him, there is also confusion about whether Nigeria is running a federal system or unitary system which any reform must address.
He added that if the nation must have the reform, the presidential system of government must be jettisoned for parliamentary system “where we have a Prime Minister that would be elected by his colleagues from the parliament.
“The Prime Minister will run the country under the supervision of the elected president. The role of the president will be limited and be very clear. And if the people are not satisfied with the Prime Minister, they can go to the parliament to remove him and put someone else. This is a country of over 200 million people; a lot of destinies are involved. There is no need for us to patch and patch it. If the constitution is not okay, let us attend to it properly.”
Commenting on the 2014 National Conference, Dr Okupe said that the recommendations of the confab organised by former President Goodluck Jonathan would have delivered an acceptable constitution if implemented.
Dr Okupe said, “Everybody agreed and everybody consented, why don’t we bring that up to have something that is reasonable? We just add other issues like a single-term rotational presidency. And if we are going to do it, the time for it is now. We need to get things corrected once and for all. We are where we are because we are just satisfied managing the same constitution that has not helped us.’’
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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