The constitution alteration bill, sponsored by Hon Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 others seeking a six-year single term for Nigeria’s presidency has been rejected on Thursday by the House of Representatives
Penpushing reports that it is recalled that some members of the House of Representatives who introduced the bill in June, also proposed rotating the presidency between the North and the South and creating a second vice president
The bill in addition sought to amend the constitution to create the offices of two vice presidents from the southern and northern parts of Nigeria, while the 1st Vice President shall be a succession vice president, and the 2nd Vice President shall be a minister in charge of the economy, stressing that both vice presidents shall be ministers.
Penpushing further reports that the bill equally proposed that the President and the 1st Vice President shall come from the same part of the country (North or South), and the 1st Vice President shall become President whenever the President becomes incapacitated, i.e., V.P. (Succession), V.P. (Administration and Economy)
The colleagues of Ugochinyere during plenary did not allow him to lead the debate on the bill on its general principles before rejecting it, while he had moved a motion to read the bill for a second time, but when Speaker Abbas Tajudeen put it to vote, members overwhelmingly voted against it.
Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar backed some of the proposals in the now-rejected bill, notably the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones and a single six-year term.
The Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in August sent a memo to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, and in 2014 National Conference a similar power rotation was recommended: the governorship seat should rotate among the three senatorial districts in each of the 36 states.
Penpushing reports that it is recalled that the then administration of President Goodluck Jonathan did not implement the conference’s recommendations before it left office.
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