ELS: MBN360 Politics
The government has accepted a major recommendation from the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) to extend the tenure of the President and Members of Parliament from four years to five years.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, announced the decision on Thursday July 30, 2026, while presenting the government’s White Paper on the Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations.
According to him, a longer term of office would give governments adequate time to implement and assess their policies before facing voters again.
“The government has accepted a recommendation to extend the term of office of the president from four years to five years, with the term of Parliament extended to correspond with this,” he said.
Dr Ayine explained that the current four-year electoral cycle places significant constraints on governance because the early months of every administration are devoted to transition activities, while the final year is largely dominated by election campaigns.
“Our thinking is practical. Under the current four-year cycle, the early months of every administration are consumed by transition matters, and the final year is largely consumed by elections,” he stated.
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He said extending the term to five years would provide a more realistic period for governments to develop, implement and evaluate policies.
“A five-year term provides a more realistic time frame for the formulation, implementation and assessment of government policy,” Dr Ayine added.
The Attorney-General also disclosed that the government has, in principle, accepted the committee’s proposal to reduce the minimum age for presidential candidates.
However, while the Constitutional Review Committee recommended lowering the age from 40 to 30 years, the government has proposed setting the minimum age at 35 years instead.
“Still under the presidency, the committee recommended that the minimum age of eligibility for election as president be reduced from 40 years, currently in the Constitution, to 30 years. The government has accepted this recommendation in principle, subject to one modification,” he said.
“The minimum age will be 35 years, not 30 years. And of course, the details of this will be fashioned out by the Constitutional Review.”
The proposals will form part of the broader constitutional reform process, with further details expected as government works to implement the approved recommendations.
