Reps reject bill seeking six-year single term for president, governors

  

The house of representatives has rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for Nigeria’s president.

The bill, slated for a second reading, was rejected during Thursday’s plenary session.

The bill, which was sponsored by Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere from Imo state and 33 other lawmakers, also proposed a six-year term for governors and rotation of executive powers among the six geopolitical zones to “ensure equal representation and reduce the desperation and tempo of agitation for the creation of states”.

Currently, the 1999 constitution stipulates that a candidate can be elected for a four-year term and can be re-elected for another term, after which he or she can no longer contest for office.

The lawmakers also sought to amend section 3 of the constitution to provide for the recognition of the division of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones.

They also recommended creating the office of two vice presidents from the southern and northern parts of the country.

The lawmakers suggested holding the presidential, governorship, national assembly, state houses of assembly, and local government elections on the same day.

The house swiftly and unanimously rejected the bill when Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, called for a voice vote following Ugochinyere’s motion for the bill to be read a second time.

The “nays” were louder than the “ayes” with the speaker ruling in favour of the majority.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is one of the proponents of a six-year single term for president.

In September, Abubakar sent a proposal to the national assembly, requesting that the presidency should be rotational among the six geo-political zones of the country.