A group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives, led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, has proposed several amendments to the 1999 Constitution aimed at improving governance in Nigeria.
Key Proposals
- Single Tenure for President and Governors: The group proposes a six-year single tenure for the President and the 36 state governors, aiming to reduce the cost of governance and campaigns.
- Two Vice Presidents: The lawmakers seek the creation of offices for two Vice Presidents (VPs), one from the Southern region and the other from the Northern region. The first Vice President would be a Succession VP, while the second VP would be a minister in charge of the economy.
- Concurrent Elections: The group proposes an amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 to ensure that all governorship elections are held on the same day.
Rotation of Executive Powers: The lawmakers propose a 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. - Financial Autonomy for Local Government Councils: The group suggests prescribing an independent Consolidated Local Government Council Account solely superintended by Local Councils and imposing long-term imprisonment for any misuse of Local Government funds.
Objectives
The lawmakers believe that these proposals will help reduce the cost of governance and campaigns, unite the country, ensure a seamless transition, continuity, uninterrupted development, justice, equity, independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), efficient use of state resources, tackle nepotism, state capture, and corruption in electoral processes.
Background
The proposal for a six-year single tenure for political office holders has been a topic of discussion in the past. Leading opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have called for single tenure for the office of the President after they lost the 2023 presidential poll to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).