By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a bill seeking to amend the 1999 constitution to allow for a single tenure of six years for the President, state governors and area council chairmen.
The bill sponsored by the member representing the Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 33 others, also sought the rotation of the Office of the President between the North and South regions, and the governorship among the three senatorial districts in each state of the federation.
The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, and 136 in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The general principles of the bill noted, “These amendments are to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by four-year periodic elections.
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 inas 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 was rejected by the lawmakers when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas who presided over the plenary.
