Eminent Nigerians have thrown their weight behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on his call for a rotational presidency and a six-year single term for the President.
What is obtainable in the country presently in the mould of rotation is more of an oscillation, when closely analysed.
Prof Femi Ajayi of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State and Prof Olu Oyedokun of Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday, stood behind Atiku.
Atiku had recommended that the office of the President rotate among the six geopolitical zones of the federation for a single term of six years, between the North and South.
Reacting, Ajayi said: “While the proposed amendment is not bad on its own, the real need of Nigeria is a ‘selfless leader’. Where such a leader is from may not be so important. If the President comes from wherever and destroys the nation’s expected unity, peace and progress, no gain at all.
Academic qualifications had been manipulated to claim readiness to serve. Internal democracy for parties had been an issue for the judiciary.
“We are yet to get it right, as our leaders are being recycled and do not possess the qualities that could make Nigeria great by fighting against the corruption in the various sectors of the nation. The ones that had cases of corruption and other vices against them were always presented, as they had the resources to deploy for the post. They manipulate the people to secure the seat and continue in their fraudulent ways and promote corruption.”
According to him, the duration per tenure is fine, but not the real problem, adding, “A leader that has the mind to fix the problem of corruption and rebuild the nation is more important and can achieve this within a single term.”
On his part, Oyedokun said: “Fixing the constitutional tapestry, though important, cannot address our fundamental issues if we continue to present half-baked candidates for political office. Any change in our constitution must first address the need for true federalism as opposed to quasi-unitary government. We must first address the balance of power, which resides too much with the centre.”
A public affairs analyst and social commentator, Prof Olabode Lucas, also supported the rotational and six-year single-term presidency.
In a statement made available to The Guardian, Lucas said: “I support this suggestion by Atiku that the Presidency should rotate among the six geo-political zones in the country. This will ensure inclusiveness and prevent the feeling of marginalisation being expressed by many sections of the country presently.
“I also support one single term of five years for the President and governors. The present system of two four-year terms each has not ensured good governance. In most states, the governors carry out some activities in their first terms to impress the people for a second term, only to be inactive and vindictive in the second. Atiku’s suggestion has been practiced successfully in some Nordic countries, especially in Switzerland.
BARELY 24 hours after former Atiku called for a rotational presidency of a six-year single term, Global Initiatives for Good Governance (GIGG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has backed his position.
Director-General of GIGG, Emeka Kalu, said a rotational presidency would reshape the country and quicken development.
The group also posited that this would ensure that all the six geo-political zones of the country had access to the presidency.
Kalu appealed to the National Assembly to consider this proposal from Atiku by ensuring that the suggestion was legitimately enshrined in the proposed amendment.
