Presidency dissociates Buhari from six-year single term for President bill

The Presidency has distanced President Muhammadu Buhari from the controversial bill seeking six-year single term for President, saying the president has nothing to d with the bill.

Sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Mr John Dyegh, the bill, which seeks a single term for president, governors and other political office holders recently failed to pass the second reading stage.

The failure of the bill was attributed to speculations that Dyegh, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Benue State was pushing a third term agenda for Buhari.

Despite the lawmaker’s emphasis that his proposal will take effect after Buhari’s administration in 2023, the public suspicion that the bill could be amended by the National Assembly before passage subsists.

APC lawmaker from Benue State, John Dyegh proposed six- years single term for presidents, governors and other political office holders in Nigeria. (Enjoy Chuks ) Pulse Nigeria

However, while absolving Buhari of any involvement in pushing for the bill, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare, said the president's body language so far did not show he’s interested in a third term, much less use the legislature to initiate the process for him, Punch reports.

He said Buhari had warned politicians against using his name to canvas votes or expect him to support any of them as his candidate for an elective office in 2023.

He said, “To the best of my knowledge, the President has said a number of times that he is not interested in a third term. He said so a few months ago during the National Executive Council meeting at the APC Secretariat. He said it candidly and vividly that he was not interested. I have not seen anything in his attitude to the contrary.”

Omoworare also recalled that Buhari during his 77th birthday emphasised that nobody should associate his name with their political ambitions in 2023.

“In fact, on his recent 77th birthday, he repeated it that nobody should use his name to campaign ahead of the 2023 elections. He did this for everybody to see that not only that he is not interested in coming back, but also that he is not interested in supporting anybody.

“The body language I have seen so far is that the President is not interested in coming back for a third time. He has spent all his terms. God has been merciful to him. He has been a military Head of State and he has been President of Nigeria under a democratic setting and I have not seen anything indicating that he wants a third term, ” he said.

Omoworare further said that any mention of President Muhammadu Buhari in relation to the six-year single term bill is a wild speculation.