The Nigerian House of Representatives has voted against a proposed constitutional amendment that would have extended the presidential, gubernatorial, and area council chairmen terms to single six-year tenure.
The bill was rejected on Thursday following deliberations by members of the House.
The proposed constitutional amendment, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere of Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, and 33 other representatives, also included provisions for the rotation of the Office of the President between the Northern and Southern regions and the governorship among the three senatorial districts in each state of the federation.
The rejected bill sought to amend Sections 76, 116, 132, and 136 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), with the aim of changing the tenure, rotation, and eligibility requirements for various political offices.
The rationale for the proposed amendment was outlined in the general principles of the bill, stating that these changes would promote inclusive governance and mitigate the expenses associated with holding elections every four years.
It reads, “The bill among others seeks amendment of Section 132 of the Principal Act by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly to provide that an election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the country every six years.
“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 House of Representatives rejected the proposed bill during Thursday’s plenary session when the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, put it to a voice vote. The majority of lawmakers voted against the bill, ultimately defeating the proposed amendment.
