Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that his plan was not to run for a second term in office, saying all he had in mind was to do his best within four years and leave the stage.
Makinde who secured another term of four years in May, disclosed this during a meeting with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN in Ibadan the state’s capital on Wednesday.
“I didn’t want a second term,’ the governor said, adding that a cue should be taken from the PFN where officials are only allowed a single tenure in office.
The state’s helmsman has therefore advocated for a single five-year term of elected public officials in the country, such as the president, governors, and local government chairmen.
He urged Nigerians to pray and work for their political leaders to move the country forward.
According to him, “Here in Nigeria, every four years, just like most democracies around the world, we come together as a nation to choose our leaders.
“I also listened to our Baba, the National President of PFN. He said the leadership of PFN has just finished the first half of its tenure. I just learnt that there is no second term in PFN.
“Maybe, we need to learn one or two things from that arrangement for our nation.
“I am a supporter of a single-term structure. As a matter of fact, I didn’t want a second term and I told the fathers of faith that, look, four years may not be long enough to do everything that you want to do, but it is long enough to make your own impact and go your own way.
“But maybe, if we have the opportunity to discuss this, I think a five or six-years single term will really be enough for most of us to do whatever it is that we are supposed to do
“Political parties will come and go, but our country will remain. We must pray for those in authority. Politics is over. It is time for governance.
“These leaders God has asked us to pray for are products of who the political parties present to us. And these leaders have been chosen, we are obligated to pray for them and work with them.
“Well, if we don’t like those in authority, what should we do? We have another opportunity in another four years to vote again,” Makinde said.
Recall that Goodluck Jonathan, a former president had advocated for a single term of six years for political office holders in the country, the suggestion however was not well received by a section of the nation’s political class.
