Third Term Agenda: Pressure Mounts On Buhari

Afenifere, Others Warn The President

By Fola James

The tenure elongation controversy is raging again in Nigeria like wild fire.

Will Buhari attempt to elongate himself in office beyond 2023? That’s the billion naira question in the minds of many Nigerians.

But while this poser still rages across the country, the Afenifere, a Yoruba social political group has warned President Buhari not to try to stay in office beyond the constitutional approved limit.

Yinka Odumakin, the group spokesman said this in Akure after a meeting, warning the president that doing so will throw the country into an imaginable chaos.

“With the National Assembly in the pocket, the only hurdle left to change that provision would be two-thirds of Houses of Assembly and we have seen the president holding a meeting of 36 speakers.

And shortly after this meeting, an APC member in Ebonyi State has approached a Federal High Court to compel the National Assembly to remove the constitutional impediments against third term for president and governors,” the group reason.

We have seen this fire before for this smoke not to be strange to us.”

Afenifere further “advise the president to use his LAST term in office to create legacies that will place him on the good pages of history, including setting Nigeria on a Federal path that will allow the constituent units of Nigeria to develop and maximise path instead of pursuing any ruinous agenda.

In spite of the warning, the magazine learned that there’s an ongoing effort by top officials in the government working tirelessly for Buhari to seek a third term in office.

Even though the president could not be directly linked to this push by these top officials, the magazine was told that he will not try to stop them.

The issue came to a head recently when Charles Oko Enya, an APC member from Ebonyi state went to court to demanding that the constitutional impediment be removed.

Enya approached a Federal High Court in Abakiliki, Ebonyi state, to direct the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation and minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to remove constitutional clauses hindering elected President and state governors from seeking a third term in office.

Hon Enya served as Asst. Publicity Secretary of Buhari’s Presidential Campaign in the April Presidential election.

In the suit no: FHC/AI/CS/90/19, which was filed at the court last Wednesday by his counsel, Barr. Iheanacho Agboti, the APC member is seeking for possible expungement of section 137(1) (b) and 182 (1) (b) in the 1999 constitution (as amended)

He said the section was an infringement on the fundamental rights of the president and governors, therefore, urging the National Assembly and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to amend the section.

President Buhari has recently stated that he had no intention of running for another term.

But some have also suggested that the president will not try to stop whoever tried to push for constitutional amendment to perpetuate him in office.

In case this happens, the president will be walking in the footsteps of his predecessors who made failed attempt at amending the constitution to allow them stay put in office.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, who ruled the country between 1999/ 2003, had his tenure in office marred by alleged plot to continue in office beyond May 29, 2007.

The late maximum General Sanni Abacha also tried to make himself a life president before he died unexpectedly in 1998.

As it turned out, the two former leaders failed, even though President Obasanjo has denied allegation.