Jonathan says four years too short for a president to achieve needed change
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/10/jonathan-says-four-years-too-short-for.html
Former President Goodluck Jonathan
has said that the four-year tenure practised by Nigeria was quite a
short period, for a president in a developing country, who wants to
change the country to do much.
He also wondered why countries would every four years, waste money conducting elections.
He stated this when he spoke at the constitutional term limits summit in Niamey, Niger Republic, on Wednesday.
He said, “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 with 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.”