Lawmakers seek single six-year presidential term

A group of lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives is championing Bills to change the tenure of the President and governors to a single term of six years. The Premium Times reports that they are also proposing the rotation of the Presidency between the North and the South as well as the creation of a second Vice-President. These proposals are part of six constitutional amendment Bills introduced. MP Ikenga Ugochinyere said the proposed alterations aim to address ‘agitations’ from different parts of the country, reduce the cost of governance, and promote unity. One of the alterations seeks to amend ‘section three of the Constitution to provide for the recognition of the division of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones’ and ‘to provide for the rotation of executive powers among the six geopolitical zones to ensure equal representation and reduce the agitation for the creation of states.’ The lawmakers are also seeking to provide more stringent laws enforcing the financial autonomy of the states. The report notes that constitutional amendments require not only the support of both houses of the federal Parliament but also a majority of the state Parliaments across Nigeria's 36 states.

Full Premium Times report