Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed plans to sponsor a bill seeking to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors after the 2027 general elections.

Bamidele said the proposed legislation would be among the first bills he intends to introduce when the next Senate is inaugurated, arguing that it would enable elected leaders to focus on governance rather than re-election campaigns.

Speaking during an interview with reporters in his office on Tuesday, the lawmaker said the current two-term arrangement often compels officeholders to devote a significant portion of their first term to political calculations and preparations for re-election.

“One of the first set of bills that I look forward to moving, by God’s grace, when we come back for the 11th Senate, God willing, is for a bill that will only make it possible for anyone who wants to be president of this country, or governor in any part of this country, to spend only one term of six years,” he said.

According to him, a single tenure would eliminate distractions associated with seeking a second term.

“So that you don’t even have to worry about wasting almost one and a half years of your first term thinking and struggling and looking forward to how you’ll be re-elected,” Bamidele said.

“If you know you are there for six years, only one tenure, you put in your best from day one. You know this is the only chance that you have.”

The Senate Leader acknowledged that the proposal may not enjoy universal support but maintained that lawmakers have a responsibility to initiate reforms they believe would strengthen governance.

“That’s my opinion. It doesn’t mean everybody will agree with me. But it also does not mean that I am prevented from doing that because that has not been the law,” he said.

Bamidele stressed that laws are meant to evolve in response to changing realities and public needs.

“The essence of law, the essence of parliament, is that laws are like human beings; they grow,” he added.

The proposal, if formally introduced and passed by the National Assembly, would require constitutional amendments before it can take effect.

Popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi Ahmad, has broken his silence on his visitation to Ibadan late last year, amidst outrage that he was trying to Islamise Oyo State with some Northern ideologies and tenets.

Gumi stressed that nobody can stop him from visiting anywhere in the country, while maintaining that he was not invited by any Muslim group or individual in the South-West.

In a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday, he said he was in Ibadan as a representative of northern Islamic scholars.

He made this known barely a day after one of the victims of the abduction in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State dismissed claims that their abductors demanded the implementation of Sharia law in the state as part of the conditions for releasing the victims.

PUNCH Online reports that the principal of Community High School, Esiele, Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, while speaking from captivity in a now-viral video, said the gunmen said they never demanded the introduction of Sharia law or a N1 billion ransom as reported in some quarters, but rather for the release of their associates currently in the custody of Nigerian authorities.

Also, the Muslim Rights Concern rejected the alleged demand for Sharia in a statement issued on Monday, describing the report as “a lie from the pit of Jahannam (hell)”.

MURIC argued that the so-called demand was inserted by enemies of Islam in the negotiation team to tarnish the image of Islam.

However, aligning with the Islamic group’s position, Gumi wrote, “I quite understand now how Islamophobia is shaping politics in SW (South-West) and why I was unnecessarily dragged into their dirty local politics.

“I was in Ibadan, not by the invitation of any SW Muslim individual or group, but as a representative of the Coalition of Northern Muslim Ulama.

“Can anybody stop me from going anywhere in Nigeria?”

Recall that Gumi visited Ibadan on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, where he served as a special guest and speaker at the Southern Nigerian Ulama Summit.

The event took place at the University of Ibadan.

During his visit, he also attended a courtesy session alongside other prominent Southern and Northern Muslim scholars.

Stakeholders from Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State have appealed to the abductors of 42 schoolchildren to release them unconditionally, saying the victims are innocent children who should not be subjected to the trauma of captivity.

The stakeholders, led by the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, made the appeal in Maiduguri on Monday, expressing concern over the prolonged detention of the pupils and students who have remained in captivity for three weeks.

According to Askira, the continued detention of the children has subjected their families and communities to deep anxiety and emotional distress.

He described the three-week ordeal as agonising, particularly given the young age of the victims.

“We passionately appeal to the conscience of those behind this heinous act: these are children, not soldiers or politicians. They are the future of Borno and Nigeria.

“We urge you to fear Almighty God and release them unconditionally. Children must never be used as bargaining chips,” he said.

The lawmaker noted that community leaders had exercised restraint since the abduction, trusting that the government and security agencies were working tirelessly to secure the children’s release.

“As stakeholders, we have remained patient and silent for these past three weeks, firmly believing that the government and our gallant security forces were doing everything within their power to secure the swift rescue of our children.

“However, that patience has now given way to deep anxiety and worry,” he added.

Askira, however, commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babagana Zulum for their efforts to restore peace and address security challenges in the state.

“We wish to commend the untiring efforts of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his sustained commitment to restoring peace across the nation.

“We also commend Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his immediate visit to Askira/Uba to sympathise with the families of the victims and reassure them of government’s support,” he said.

The stakeholders also called for enhanced security measures in Askira/Uba, citing the area’s proximity to the Sambisa Forest, long regarded as a hideout for insurgent groups.

According to Askira, the geographical location of the council makes its communities particularly vulnerable to attacks.

“Furthermore, we must address the urgent need for a more robust security presence. Askira/Uba Local Government shares immediate borders with the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, making our communities uniquely vulnerable.

“Given this precarious geography, we request the immediate establishment of a permanent and fortified security architecture, including strengthened school security, rapid-response units, forward operating bases and sustained patrols to provide the protection our people desperately need,” he stated.

The appeal comes amid growing concerns over the resurgence of attacks on schools and communities in parts of Borno State despite ongoing military operations against insurgents.

Arewa PUNCH reports that 42 pupils and students were abducted on May 16 after suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.

The incident reignited fears over the safety of schools in the North-East, where thousands of children have been affected by insurgency-related violence over the past decade.

Although security agencies have intensified efforts to rescue the victims, the children were yet to regain their freedom as of the time of filing this report, prompting renewed appeals from community leaders and families for their immediate release.