The House of Representatives on Thursday voted down a bill proposing amendments to the 1999 Constitution to establish a single six-year tenure for the president, state governors and area council chairmen.
Sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency in Imo State, alongside 33 co-sponsors, the bill also sought to enforce the rotation of the presidency between Nigeria’s North and South regions, as well as rotate governorship positions among the three senatorial districts within each state.
The proposed legislation aimed to amend Sections 76, 116, 132, and 136 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Its stated goals included promoting inclusive governance and reducing the financial strain of periodic elections held every four years.
A key provision of the bill included amending Section 132 to mandate a six-year rotational presidency between the North and South.
“Other amendments include, Section 76 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting a new subsection (3) as follows; (3) For the purposes of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and accordance with the Electoral Act.
“If a person duly elected as President dies before taking and subscribing to the oath of allegiance and oath of office or is for any reason whatsoever unable to be sworn in, the person elected with him as First Vice President shall be sworn in as President and he shall appoint a new First Vice President with the approval by a simple majority of the National Assembly at a joint sitting,” the bill also stated.
The bill was met with resistance and ultimately rejected when put to a voice vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during plenary.
