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Six-Year Term: Presidency Criticises Limitation Of Election

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, has condemned the planned restriction of Governors serving their first term from contesting elections … Continue reading Six-Year Term: Presidency Criticises Limitation Of Election


The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, has condemned the planned restriction of Governors serving their first term from contesting elections as suggested by the Senate committee on constitution amendment.

Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, the President’s aide claimed that “such governors or the President will be short changed.”

“Their right to contest or be elected as stated by the 1999 Constitution has been abridged if this amendment goes through” he stated.

He added that “my quarrel with this proposed amendment is that those governors that are running for their first terms, by 2015 they would have completed their first term, which is four years. Is the amendment proper to short-change them, when they were elected under a constitution that allowed them a second term?” he asked without making any inference to the President who is also serving his first term.

The Senate Committee led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekeweremadu, had recommended that the President and Governors who are on their first terms should not benefit or partake in elections after the six-year term policy is passed.

Mr Gulak suggested that “it would have been okay if the first term governors are allowed to participate (in elections post the six-year term law passage) and after 2019, anybody coming in now, will know that he is going to be elected under the amendment constitution.”

He admitted that the President Goodluck Jonathan initiated the six-year term policy and still stands by it, but warned that “the difference is clearly that the amendment is targeted at some individuals.