The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted against a bill that would have made the rotation of the presidency and vice presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones a constitutional requirement.
The bill was one of seven constitutional amendment proposals considered during a session led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. All seven bills were rejected after heated debates. However, lawmakers agreed to revisit the proposals individually on Wednesday.
The proposed rotational presidency bill drew the most attention and sparked strong arguments both for and against.
Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki opposed the bill, saying, “Rotation of the presidency should not be a constitutional matter. Existing political parties already have internal mechanisms to ensure fair and equitable representation.”
Sada Soli, a lawmaker from Katsina State, also rejected the proposal, warning that it might harm the quality of leadership.
Soli said, “Adopting a rotational principle for the presidency will not serve the country’s best interests. It will fuel regional and ethnic rivalry.”
Shina Oyedeji, who supported the bill, argued that it would help promote fairness across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups.
But Oyedeji also raised concerns, saying, “If you adopt zoning and it comes to the South-West, for instance, which state will take the slot—Ogun or Oyo?”
Bello El-Rufai from Kaduna State questioned how the rotation rule would work during unexpected situations like the death of a president.
El-Rufai said, “What happens if the President dies in office, as happened in 2010 with President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua? Will the Vice President be forced to vacate office to maintain the zoning arrangement?”
He also warned that such a rule could violate Nigerians’ rights to contest for any position. “No matter what you do in Nigeria, there will always be cries of marginalisation,” El-Rufai said.
Olumide Osoba from Ogun State said the bill could interfere with political party freedom. “It would be out of place to constitutionally dictate to political parties how to select their candidates,” he said.
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Still, some lawmakers supported the bill. Minority Whip Ali Isa said all six zones should have a fair chance at the presidency.
Isa said, “There are competent individuals in all regions who can govern not just Nigeria, but the West African subregion.”
Isa also called for rotational governorship within states.
Clement Jimbo from Akwa Ibom supported the idea and suggested a time limit for the rotation system, saying it could help correct past injustices against minority regions.
Meanwhile, the House also rejected six other proposed amendments. These included:
- A bill to remove INEC’s power to register political parties and transfer it to the Registrar-General.
- A bill to increase the number of Federal High Court judges to 100.
- A proposal to expand the Federal High Court’s powers to include admiralty and inland waterways matters.
- A bill to give independence to State Auditors-General and FCT Area Council auditors.
- A proposal to create the Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State.
- A bill to give the National Judicial Council the power to set salaries and allowances for judicial workers.
Lawmakers will continue discussions on the bills in the coming days.