Former president Goodluck Jonathan has said that four-year tenure is too short for any leader in a developing country to make a meaningful impact.
Jonathan stated this on Wednesday at the ongoing International Conference on Constitutionalism and Democracy in Africa taking place in Niamey, the capital city of Niger Republic.
The former president also noted that four-year election cycle constitutes a distraction to the leaders and a waste of money
His words: “When Professor Wade (Senegal) was in his last tenure he changed the constitution and extended the term limits from five to seven years. He thought he would win the election. But Macky Sall reduced it to five years. We must commend dynamic leaders like that.
“There is no need for one person to sit for 14, years doing what? The country is not your personal estate. Countries are free to amend their laws. Just like the president of Niger Republic said, different nations have different ways of doing things, so it is better they have their own way of doing things. I agree to that.
“Most countries in Africa emulate America – that is a stable country, and take “four, four years” like Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana.
“Four years is quite a short period for a country that is developing for a person who wants to change the country to do much. In Nigeria we just finished the election and some people are already talking about 2023 election. It is distracting.
“That is why some people come with the idea of a single tenure; so a president can sit down and plan all his programmes for the good of the country. We are too distracted with these elections. Why must we waste money every four years to elect a leader? Those are the things that agitate our minds.”
