Rotational presidency not a priority for Nigeria now

The Chief Spokesperson, Peter Obi/Datti Baba-Ahmed Presidential Campaign Council for the 2023 election, Alhaji Yunusa Tanko, has said that reforming the electoral process is much more needed now than the proposed single-tenure rotational presidency, to deepen democracy.

Tanko, a former National Chairman of the defunct National Conscience Party, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, said reforming the electoral process would guarantee the emergence of credible leaders across all levels of government.

According to him,  deepening democracy to guarantee the emergence of credible leaders should be one of the key things to consider in the ongoing process of amending the Constitution.

“These (single tenure of six years and rotational presidency) are things that will be decided by the Nigerian people when the time comes.

“They are not things that should be on the front burner of discussions at the moment now.

“This is because what we need actually at the moment is for us to have an electoral reform that would dovetail into credible elections.

“Once we have that, we shall be talking about the tenure of office,” he said.

Tanko said that the National Assembly should not focus on tenure of office but on deepening the electoral process to promote democracy.

“Let us reform the electoral system to make it clean and clear so that we can have credible elections,” he said.

Also, speaking with NAN, the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, said that a rotational presidency and a single term of six years for the president and governors were good ideas.

He, however, said rotational presidency might not be consistent with democratic principles.

Yerima, also a rights activist, said: “It is good, the only problem I have with it is the rotational aspect of it. We must allow it to be democratic.

“He who has the number should take it, and he who does not produce the number should be patient and wait for his time.

“However, this is not really our problem, but it is good. One term for any leader to rule and get away.”

NAN reports that a bill seeking a single term of six years for the 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 geopolitical zones of the country.

The 35 legislators, under the auspices of Reformed-minded Legislators, said both proposals would lead to a reduction in the cost of governance.

The spokesman for the group, Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, added that the move would unite the country ensure seamless power transition and promote the development of the country.

NAN