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The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, berated the House of Representatives for rejecting the bill proposing a six-year single term for the President and governors.
The bill, sponsored by the member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, Imo State, Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 33 others, was rejected on Thursday in a voice vote by the lawmakers at plenary.
Atiku had in October last year sent a letter to the National Assembly, requesting a constitutional amendment to establish a six-year single term for the President and state governors.
In his memorandum to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, Atiku also suggested that the Presidency be rotated between the North and South.
In response to the House of Representatives’ rejection of the proposal, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, told our correspondent in an interview on Thursday that the lawmakers failed to recognise that Nigeria is at a crossroads.
He stated, “It is sad. It is clear that they don’t understand that Nigeria is currently at a crossroads.
“I would have expected that this proposed amendment would have passed to strengthen the polity and ensure that whoever is elected for a six-year single term would be able to focus on it, without being encumbered by the rush to seek a second term. This would allow the person to focus on governance and not be distracted by politics and all the associated activities.
“So, it is sad that it was rejected, and we need to ensure that the laws we make promote the well-being of Nigerians and strengthen democracy in both word and deed. That is what this law was meant to do. Unfortunately, the House did not see this. It is unfortunate, and we hope that it is revisited, so they can realise that they have made a mistake.”
The proposed legislation sought to alter sections 76, 116, 132, and 136, in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The general principles of the bill noted that “These amendments are to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastage occasioned by four-year periodic elections.
“The bill, among others, seeks an amendment to 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 in accordance with the Electoral Act.”
The bill further proposed that “if a person 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.”
Furthermore, the bill proposed that “A person who was sworn in as Governor to complete the term for which another person was elected as Governor shall not be elected to such office for another term.”
But when the bill came up for hearing at plenary on Thursday, it was roundly rejected by lawmakers in a voice vote called by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
