The House of Representatives has rejected an amendment bill seeking to mandate the president and vice president rotation. The bill is among seven proposed constitutional amendments considered during a plenary session led by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
Although all the bills were eventually rejected, the house resolved to reconsider the bills individually during today’s sitting. The house also suspends its rules to enable discussions on amendment bills, letting members focus on any of the seven proposals.
Deputy minority leader, Aliyu Madaki, who opposed the proposal, argued that president rotation should not be a constitutional matter. According to him, political parties have internal mechanisms to ensure fair representation in the distribution of offices during elections.
Another opposition, Sada Soli from All Progressive Congress, warned that the bill could compromise the quality of leadership. He adds that adopting a rotational principle for the presidency will not serve the interest of the country.
However, Shina Oyedeji, from the People’s Democratic Party argued that the bill would address the issue of fairness in the country. Oyedeji also emphasizes that zoning could cause a lot of challenges as much as it addresses equity in Nigeria.
Additionally, Bello El Rufai from APC points out unforeseen circumstances concerning the office rotation. He argued that the bill would affect Nigerian’s right to contest for any office regardless of legal provisions.
Olumide Osoba from APC also expressed his concerns about the potential infringement on political parties’ autonomy. According to him, it would be inappropriate to dictate to political parties how to select their candidates.
However, Ali Isa from the minority Whip supports the proposal, noting fairness and equity for the six geopolitical zones. He also advocates for the principle to be extended to the state level, with governing positions rotating among several districts.
Six other bills including the creation of a local government area in Delta state, are rejected by the house.
