On Monday, a number of members of the House of Representatives put forth certain changes to the 1999 Constitution that they feel will enhance national governance. The Ideato Federal Constituency member Ikenga Ugochinyere led the committee that suggested giving the president and the 36 state governors a single six-year term.
The country will be united, a smooth transition will be ensured, continuity and uninterrupted development will be sustained, justice and equity will be upheld, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will remain independent, state resources will be used efficiently, nepotism, state capture, and corruption in electoral processes will be addressed, according to the Reform Minded Legislators group’s proposals on the political and electoral reform bills slated for second reading. Additionally, the legislators wanted to establish positions for two Vice Presidents (VPs), one from the nation’s southern region and one from its northern region.
They said that the first vice president would be a minister of succession and the second vice president would be an economy minister. Both vice presidents would be ministers. In order to guarantee that all governorship elections go place on the same day, the group also suggested amending the Electoral Act of 2022.
“Constitutional alteration to provide for the 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” was another proposal put forth by the group, which was reportedly composed of roughly thirty parliamentarians. Other proposals include: “A constitutional amendment to stipulate that the President and the First Vice President shall be citizens of the same region (north or south) and that the First Vice President, or V.P. (Succession), shall assume the Presidency in the event of the President’s incapacitation.”
“The financial autonomy and accountability of Local Government Councils through the establishment of a Consolidated Local Government Council Account that is independent, overseen exclusively by Local Councils, and the imposition of lengthy jail sentences for any misappropriation of funds from the Local Government.” In the past, the idea of giving political office holders a single, six-year term instead of two, four-year terms had made news.
Prominent opponents like as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who were defeated by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election, advocated for a single term for the presidency. Bills allowing political office holders to serve only one term had previously been rejected by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
