The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment bill seeking to mandate the rotation of the offices of the President and Vice President among the six geopolitical zones.
The bill was one of seven proposed constitutional amendments listed for consideration during the plenary session presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu. All seven bills were ultimately rejected.
However, the House resolved to reconsider the bills individually on their merits during Wednesday’s sitting.
To facilitate a more efficient debate, the House had earlier suspended its rules to allow simultaneous discussion of the constitutional amendment bills, permitting members to focus on any of the seven proposals.
The rotational presidency bill attracted the most attention, sparking a contentious debate.
Leading the opposition to the proposal was Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, who argued that the principle of equitable representation was already covered by the Federal Character Commission.
“Rotation of the presidency should not be a constitutional matter,” Madaki said. “Existing political parties already have internal mechanisms to ensure fair and equitable representation in the distribution of offices during elections.”
Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) criticised the bill as “disingenuous,” warning that it could compromise the quality of leadership.
“Adopting a rotational principle for the presidency will not serve the country’s best interests,” he said. “It will fuel regional and ethnic rivalry.”
In contrast, Shina Oyedeji (PDP, Oyo) supported the principle, arguing that it would address the longstanding agitation for fairness among Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities.
However, he cautioned that zoning could also create new challenges.
“If you adopt zoning and it comes to the South-West, for instance, which state will take the slot—Ogun or Oyo?” he asked.
Bello El-Rufai (APC, Kaduna) raised a constitutional concern about unforeseen circumstances, such as the death of a sitting president.
“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 asked.
El-Rufai further argued that a constitutional rotation clause would infringe on Nigerians’ rights to freely contest for any office, and that mistrust would persist regardless of legal provisions.
“No matter what you do in Nigeria, there will always be cries of marginalisation,” he said. “We should not set a dangerous precedent by entrenching this in the Constitution.”
Olumide Osoba (APC, Ogun) also expressed concerns about the potential infringement on political party autonomy.
“While the amendment is unique, it would be out of place to constitutionally dictate to political parties how to select their candidates,” he said.
However, Minority Whip, Ali Isa, supported the proposal, stating that all six geopolitical zones deserve a fair chance to occupy the presidency.
He also advocated the principle to be extended to the state level, with governorship positions rotating among senatorial districts.
“There are competent individuals in all regions who can govern not just Nigeria, but the West African subregion,” he said. “Even the Federal Character principle supports fairness across all states.”
He praised the Deputy Speaker’s openness to the issue and added, “In 2027, we should allow the Presidency to go to the North-East, for the sake of fairness.”
Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa Ibom) echoed this sentiment, stating that the bill aimed to address historical injustices against minority groups.
He proposed including a sunset clause to end the rotation principle once all zones have had their turn.
The House also rejected a bill seeking to remove the power to register and regulate political parties from the Independent National Electoral Commission and transfer it to the Office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties.
Another rejected proposal sought to increase the minimum number of Federal High Court judges to 100, or such number as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
Also turned down was a bill to expand the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to include admiralty matters such as shipping and navigation on the River Niger, River Benue, and other designated inland waterways, federal ports, and sea carriage.
A proposed amendment seeking to establish and grant independence to the Offices of State Auditors-General for Local Governments and the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils was similarly rejected.