Single Interwoven Tenure (SIT): A solution to crises, constitutional inconsistency

It is worthy enough to understand that African and Asian citizens get their own way of thinking, politics, co-existence, as well as maintaining their cultural heritage as a special distinctive feature for their life style. Many Nigerians and Africans are aware that their constitutions are shadows to western system especially the British/ American constitutional image […]

It is worthy enough to understand that African and Asian citizens get their own way of thinking, politics, co-existence, as well as maintaining their cultural heritage as a special distinctive feature for their life style. Many Nigerians and Africans are aware that their constitutions are shadows to western system especially the British/ American constitutional image at the on-set ideology.
 Nevertheless, having felt the bad taste of political instability in many countries such as Burkina Faso, Bosnia Herzegovina,  Burundi, Tunisia, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Mali, Yemen, Iraq, Central Africa, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt and Nigeria etc having that a lot of them have experienced the so-called second-term tenure of office as a matter of do or die and mark or mar, it is learnt by all and sundry that continental peace of the contemporary life has really become a mirage whether by using a binocular or not that prevailing peace has become an unrealistic dream to the extent that these continents get more or less peace at their loops and corners giving birth to emanation of rebels.
  With this bitter development, Africans and Asian citizens including Nigerians should try harder to see that certain amendments are made in their countries’ constitutions in order to suit their well being void of rigging and selfish interest during elections.
  Let’s cite an example of Nigerian political system that has for years been practicing the Democratic System of Government either Parliamentary or Presidential System right from the first, second and third Republic but opposition parties had never been officially declared as winners to the Central Government seat. It rather becomes a matter of argument and chaos whenever the presidential election result is announced. The First Republic political parties such as A.G., N.C.N.C., N.E.P.U., N.N.D.P. and U.P.G.A. etc have made a nail and hammer move to officially win the election but the then ruling party N.P.C. was officially declared the winner of the race despite the fact that most of the parties got concrete political ideology and wider support by the populace.
  During the Second Republic other sets of political parties flourished. They were the G.N.P.P., N.A.P., N.P.P., P.R.P. and U.P.N. They had been to loops and corners soliciting for support but upon all their good political ideology and progressive spirit zealed to officially subvert the ruling party, N.P.N. but alas! Things became standstill.
 Now-a-days in this republic, political parties like A.C.N., A.D., A.P.G.A., C.PC, L.P., and P.R.P. etc made all possible efforts to get the official mandate in order to serve as leaders at the Federal Executive Level but proved abortive. As far as we are concerned, since the First Republic to date, no election was held without the post-election accusation finger on rigging, misuse of power, Pound mania, Naira mania, aggrandizement and misappropriation of votes leading to chaos and intranquility in the country.
 In the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria such as sections 135 and 180 have specified the President and State Governors’ tenure of office among which not to exceed four years. Various states have enacted laws on the Local Government Councils tenure of office. Additionally, each candidate should not exceed two terms in office but legislative arms get unlimited tenure of office.
 It has become necessary that in order to curtail squander mania, post election violence, and excessive bloodshed second term election and tenure system should be abrogated. All sections of the Constitution in that respect should also be amended to affect all executive and legislative elective posts. The working system should be a part-time adhoc staff system. One-Term Interwoven Election (O-TIE) system can be introduced so that any incumbent elected officer can no way proceed to second term directly without giving way to another duly elected candidate. The last can later succeed the latter or contest for another post. This is to safeguard power monopoly and squander mania at the second term electioneering campaign.
Dr. Lawal Sule Abdullahi writes from Alfadarai, Zaria. Kaduna State.