Honourable Cletus Obun, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has weighed in on the controversial proposal to extend the tenure of presidents and governors to six years.
Speaking in an interview on AIT’s Democracy Today, Obun emphasised the importance of sacrifices in Nigeria’s political landscape, citing the examples of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who rose to power through a delicate balance of political interests.
According to Obun, the North’s willingness to cede power to other regions has been crucial to maintaining national unity.
He warned that if the North had insisted on its “turn” and “time” in office, the country might have collapsed under the weight of political tensions.
Obun’s comments suggest that the proposed 6-year tenure is a necessary sacrifice for the sake of good governance and democratic stability.
The APC chieftain’s remarks come as members of the 10th House of Representatives debate the proposed constitutional amendment.
Proponents of the bill argue that a longer tenure would allow elected officials to implement their policies and programmes without the pressure of imminent elections.
Critics, however, fear that the move could lead to authoritarianism and entrench incumbents in power.
Obun said, “What I’m saying is that he can proceed to contest as if he never ran an election before. That’s the sacrifice I’m talking about: people must be ready for patriotic reasons, like we did for Jonathan and Yaradua; it was for patriotic reasons.
“Otherwise, if the North had insisted that it was our turn and that it was our time, there would have been no Nigeria by now, but they made that sacrifice to say, Jonathan, go ahead.”……….See More
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