It’s barely a week since president Muhammadu Buhari said he’s not interested in a third term since the Nigerian constitution only allows for two terms of four years each.
However, in a twist of event, it does seem that Nigerians who never took the President’s words too seriously may just end up being proven right after all.
A recent story published by Daily Trust shows that a potential ground work for Buhari’s third term bid may have finally surfaced when a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi state, Hon. Charles Oko Enya, tries to spin the constitution, in favor of the President.
According to the report, Enya has beseeched a Federal High Court in Abakiliki, Ebonyi state, to direct the National Assembly, 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.
He insisted that the sections were infringement on the fundamental human rights of the likes of President Muhammadu Buhari and all state governors excluding the legislators.
According to him, “that section 137(1)(b)of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999 (as amended) restricting the president to only two terms of four years each, is inoperative by virtue of its discriminatory nature in relation to the executive and legislative branches of government in Nigeria, and therefore null and void and thus inapplicable”.
This definitely is an interesting development likely by powered some powerful personalities underground. The fact that it comes from South of the Niger is what makes it all the more interesting, and heavily suspicious.
Should the court (which obviously is in the executive’s pocket) decide to rule in favour of Enya, it would without a doubt trigger a series of interesting events in a country where Obasanjo never had his way the last time a push for third term was attempted.