The Governorship Second Term Syndrome In Nigeria

After the March 18 Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, a number of incumbent governors returned elected for a second term. The reality is that there is a political devil in Nigeria called the second-term syndrome that devours elected officials in Nigeria.

The likes of Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman (Kwara) Muhammad Inuha Yahaya (Gombe) have been re-elected to “finish what they started four years ago.”

All eyes are on them not to trek the path of some governors in the country who went on giant progressive strides when they first resumed but regressed dramatically after securing their second term in office.

Without a doubt, the precedence in Nigeria on second-term governors is not plausible.

Based on verifiable information, AllNews Nigeria handpicks one past and a serving two-term governor who did not live up to the hype they righteously earned in their first tenures. 

They had a positive start in their first four years but fizzled out to make the second four years diametrically opposite to what the populace enjoyed in the earlier tenure.

This piece aims to enlighten citizens and residents of the states whose governors won their second-term bids not to allow emotions to becloud their judgment.

Instead, they could be ever-vigilant to bring the governors to account as they pilot their second terms.

Rauf Aregbesola (Osun)

Despite Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s scramble for his mandate and positive momentum in his first four years, the stark possibility staring at him after his second term was that if he decided to go to the senate like most of his colleagues, he would fail monumentally.

Aregbesola did not make appointments to the state cabinet for the greater part of his second term in office.

The biggest dot line to Aregbesola’s second term was when a serving Judge in the State Judiciary, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, petitioned the House of Assembly, urging the lawmakers to impeach Governor Aregbesola on account of alleged financial recklessness.

The judge opined that the inability of Aregbesola to pay pensions, salaries, and allowances for periods ranging from eight to 11 months and the unfathomable government accumulated debts “beyond the capacity of the state’s internally generated revenue” that his leadership was incurring are enough reason to send him packing.

Anyone’s second term can’t get any worse.

Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State)

Despite Ikpeazu faring well in his first term, most people believe he is doing too little in core areas such as road infrastructure, education, and agri-business.

The ripple effect of Ikpeazu’s ineffectual second term is losing this Abia South Senatorial election to the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Even though Ikpeazu has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission for not declaring him the winner, most people still believe he did not win because he performed poorly, particularly during his second term.

Sources told this reporter while compiling this report that workers are being owed salary arrears, and medical practitioners go on strike while the governor and his deputy continued to enjoy their security votes in hundreds of millions in the state without considering the yearnings of the workforce in the state.

Others say Ikpeazu’s reign, which will end on May 29, 2023, was devoid of compassion and legal or moral basis despite showing positive signs in his first term.

That Ikpeazu decided to run for the senate made him wash his dirty linen in the open.

That is the difference between him and Aregbesola, his partner in circumstance.