THE House of Representatives at the plenary, yesterday, rejected a bill, seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for a single term of six years for the Offices of the President, State Governors and Local Government Chairmen.
The bill, which was sponsored by Rep Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP-Imo) and 33 other lawmakers, also seeks zonal rotation of presidential and governorship seats, as well as holding of the elections in one day.
The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
According to the general principles of the bill, “these amendments was 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 in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“Section 116 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new a subsection (3) as follows; For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and Local Government Councils shall be held simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“Section 132 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new é subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly: 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. Provided that where it is the turn of the North or South to present a candidate for election into the office of President, it shall be rotated among the three geo-political zones that constitute the regions. The extant subsection (2) becomes subsection (3). The extant subsection (3) becomes subsection (4) The extant subsection (4) is hereby deleted. The extant subsection (5) remains subsection (5).
“Section 136 of the Principal Act is amended by deleting the a extant subsections 1 & 2 and replacing them with new subsections I, 2 and 3 as follows: 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.
“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. The Principal Act is altered by inserting a new Section 188 immediately after the extant 187 and immediately before the extant 188 and renumbering accordingly as follows; 188(1) Notwithstanding any other provision, the Governor shall present a mid-term account of stewardship performance report to the State House of Assembly at the end of the third year of the six-year term. The State House of Assembly shall determine by a resolution supported by not less than two-third majority of members whether the Governor has by the account of stewardship report justified his continuous stay in office.
The Bill was put to a voice vote by the Speaker who presided over the plenary session and the nays had it.
