Posted by From FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
Amid claims by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitutional Review (JCCR) that Nigerians crave for a three-term limit for President Olusegun Obasanjo and governors, a nationwide opinion poll has indicated that 84 per cent of the people indeed want Obasanjo to leave office in 2007.
• contrary to Mantu Committee's report
Amid claims by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitutional Review (JCCR) that Nigerians crave for a three-term limit for President Olusegun Obasanjo and governors, a nationwide opinion poll has indicated that 84 per cent of the people indeed want Obasanjo to leave office in 2007.
The survey, conducted by an internationally acclaimed research network group, Afro Barometer, which had conducted similar opinion polls in 18 African countries, showed that overwhelming majority of Nigerians disapproved three-term of office for any public office holder.
The result of the research, which was carried out between September and December, 2005 but released in Abuja last week, revealed that only 13 percent of the population believes that Obasanjo 'should be able to serve a third term or even as many terms as he wishes".
The research indicated that the strongest opposition to the extension of tenure is found in North-Central Zone, North-West as well as in the South-West where President Obasanjo comes from.
'In every zone of the country, at least three quarters of the public support the current two-term limit for the President. In the South-West and the Niger Delta areas, eight in 10 affirm the current term limit. In the North-West and the Middle Belt of the country, nine in 10 prefer the current constitutional dispensation" , the survey indicated.
Equally, 82 percent of the populace expressed satisfaction with the present multi-party system of democracy and rejected the idea of single party state. A majority also expressed concern about the performance of the electoral system. Fourty-one percent felt the 2003 elections were not free and fair while 22 per cent believes that the elections showed major problems.