Nigeria Federal Government may adopt a single six years term for Presidency as well as Governors if the bill sponsored by Member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo amongst other 34 House of Representatives members finally becomes a law.
Recall that same Ugochinyere had few days ago moved a motion for the creation of Orlu State, a Bill which also had passed the first reading.
In a bid to realize this, the said Ikenga and Colleagues have introduced bills in the House seeking to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) to limit the period which any individual can serve as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Governor of State from two terms of four years each, to a single six-year tenure.
The bills also seek legislation of rotational presidency and governorship,
conduct of all elections in one day, conclusion of all pre-election matters before election, resolutions of all post election matters before swearing in, mandatory results transmission, seven-year jail term for corrupt election officials, among others.
Giving more insight into the bills’ content, the chief sponsor, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, at a press conference with other lawmakers, lamented that Nigeria is among several countries in Africa confronted by threats of political instability and social conflicts, hence the situation led to political actors in the country canvassing for the adoption of rotational and single tenure presidency as a potent political arrangement that can guarantee stability.
He was flanked by Hons. Aliyu mustapha, Danga Abdulmaleek, Prof Paul Nnamchi, Mathew Nwaogu, Abiante Awaji Inombek, Midala Usman and Sagir Koki.
Ugochinyere called for support for the bill, saying that Nigeria should emulate Mexico as they practise a presidential system of government like Nigeria, but with a single-term presidency of six years.
“In a very daring and laudable move, several lawmakers led by Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, proposed critical bills that call for restructuring of Nigeria’s governance and electoral systems.
“The first of the bills is a constitutional alteration bill to provide for the rotation of executive powers (Presidency) among the six geopolitical zones to ensure equal representation.
“For the lawmakers, this will ensure equal representation, national stability, and inclusion of all regions in the country.
“The bill will also help reduce government spending and wastage on elections and achieve efficiency in governance since elected leaders will not be derailed or distracted by any re-election agenda.
“A very important aspect of this bill is that it will also ensure that the Constitution recognizes the division of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones, and for the position of the Presidency, the rotation of power between the North and the South shall be clearly done amongst the six-geopolitical zones to ensure that no zone is left out in six successions.
“Another critical bill by the group of lawmakers is the bill to amend the relevant sections of the Electoral Act to ensure that all elections (presidential, governorship, National Assembly, state Houses of Assembly, and local governments) are held on the same day. Elections remain the only democratic means of bringing back sanity in Nigeria’s polity. The bill will address violence, and corruption in our electoral processes.
“Another bill proposes a mandatory electronic transmission of results and accreditation of voters, outlawing the use of manual means completely.
“These bills have passed through the first reading at the 10th House of Representatives; this shows commitment on our part to see the reforms achieved.
“We call on stakeholders, advocacy groups, and the general public to lend their voices to ensure that the bills do not only become laws but are implemented effectively to achieve its stated objectives on Nigeria’s governance .
