Senator Kenneth Eze, chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, has called for a broader national dialogue on constitutional reform to determine whether an extended tenure could improve implementation while preserving checks and balances.

Eze, a member of the ruling APC party from Ebonyi State, made the call while addressing journalists at his Ohigbo-Amagu country home in Ezza South LGA, on Monday, February 16, 2026.

According to the lawmaker, the national dialogue should center on replacing Nigeria’s current two-term, four-year presidential cycle with a single 16-year tenure, noting that frequent election cycles undermined policy continuity and stalled national development.

Explaining he said, “Every four years, we return to campaign mode. By the third year, governance slows as attention shifts to re-election; that is why projects are abandoned, and policies are not allowed to mature.

“Nigeria’s constitution provides for a four-year presidential term, renewable once, but if you ask me, I will advocate one tenure of 16 years. It sounds controversial, but it will allow policies to run their full course and stabilise the system,” he added.

He therefore proposed scrapping the two-term structure in favour of a single, extended tenure that would free leaders from electoral pressures and enable them to pursue long-term reforms, as critical sectors such as power, infrastructure, agriculture and fiscal reform required sustained commitment beyond short political cycles.

While defending recent economic measures he said, ”We were borrowing to pay salaries. That is not sustainable for any country; tough decisions are necessary to secure long-term stability."

Eze who called for a broader national dialogue on constitutional reform to determine whether an extended tenure could improve implementation while preserving checks and balances, maintained that his proposal should be seen as a governance conversation, not an assault on democracy.

He acknowledged that any amendment would require approval by the National Assembly and ratification by state legislatures, but stressed that the process must remain transparent and participatory.

Beyond tenure reform, Eze urged citizens to embrace civic responsibility and patriotism; challenging journalists, teachers, civil servants and parents to promote national values, warning that policy changes alone could not transform the country.

Source: NAN

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