2015: Senate moves to bar Jonathan, govs

As Senate begins debate of the report of its Constitution Review Committee (CRC) today, fresh indications emerged yesterday evening that the president, his deputy, governors and their deputies may not benefit from the six-year single tenure being proposed by the Senate.

Chairman of the Senate Constitution Review Committee (CRC), Ike Ekweremadu, laid the report in the chamber yesterday.

Daily Sun, however, gathered that part of the recommendations of the Senate committee was that elective offices, including those of the president and governors, should now be for a single tenure of six years without any renewal.

Sections 135 and 180 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulated that the president and governors could seek another term after four years in office.

In amending the 1999 Constitution, however, the Senate CRC had amended that provision with a caveat; current office holders would not enjoy the new six-year single tenure.

The new six-year single term tenure, according to the report, was expected to commence in 2015.

Daily Sun gathered that arriving at the six-year single term proposal was not without opposition from members of the CRC. A ranking member of the committee disclosed how members were split between doing away with two terms of four years and replacing it with either six or seven-year single tenure.

“Members canvassed arguments for and against the two tenures but those who wanted six-year single tenure won the argument at the final meeting of the committee which held on May 29 in one of the committee rooms of the Senate new wing.

“Even though the report recommends six years, some of our members still believe that it should be a seven-year single tenure and they are ready to further canvass their positions on the floor today when the debate starts.”