The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has vehemently opposed a bill proposing a single six-year term for the President and state governors, labeling it “anti-democracy” and an attempt to undermine the electorate’s power.
Last week, 35 members of the House of Representatives, under the group Reformed-minded Legislators, proposed this bill, claiming it would reduce governance costs and ensure equitable presidential rotation among the six geopolitical zones.
However, NANS has urged Nigerians, pro-democracy groups, and trade unions to mobilize against the bill.
Addressing journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State, NANS National Clerk of the Senate, Yekini Adewale, described the bill as a “smokescreen” intended to distract from Nigeria’s pressing economic challenges.
Adewale argued that the bill, if enacted, would undermine key democratic principles.
“Yes, democracy thrives on the synergy between the three arms of government, but when a key arm such as the legislature proposes bills and, peradventure, passes laws that stifle people’s choices or throw spanners at the wheel of the tenets of democracy, it is disheartening and must not be allowed,” he said.
He warned that the bill would erode accountability and transparency among political leaders.
“NANS, as a non-governmental organization and the only pressure group that has been agitating for the continued survival and sustainability of our hard-earned democracy from being truncated, does not only condemn the proposed bills but calls on Nigerians to move against such steps aimed at achieving a selfish agenda by some unscrupulous politicians,” Adewale added.
Adewale emphasized that removing the possibility of a second term would encourage elected officials to prioritize personal gain over public service.
“Any president or governor who realizes that he cannot seek a second term in office may rather busy himself feathering his own nest instead of delivering good governance to the electorate,” he noted.
NANS has threatened to mobilize nationwide protests if the bill advances.
“As a student body in the country, we shall mobilize our members massively against these bills seeking to efface accountability, probity, transparency, and responsibility from the elected executives and lawmakers,” Adewale stated.
“To further demonstrate our rejection of this anti-democracy, anti-people, and anti-progress bill, a day will be set aside for Nigerian students to embark on a mass march against the National Assembly,” he concluded.
