House Of Reps Reject Bills On Rotational Presidency Among Six Geopolitical Zones

The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that aimed to rotate the presidency and vice presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

This bill, along with six other amendment proposals, failed to pass second reading during the plenary session led by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

Among the rejected bills was one seeking to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the power to register and regulate political parties, transferring that role to a new Registrar-General.

Another proposed bill would have included regional rotation of presidential power among the North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West zones.

Also dismissed was a bill that called for establishing independent offices for State Auditors-General at the local government level and for the Federal Capital Territory, aiming to boost transparency and grassroots governance.

Lawmakers also turned down a proposal to increase the minimum number of Federal High Court judges to at least 100, as well as another bill seeking to expand the court’s jurisdiction to cover admiralty matters on major Nigerian rivers and ports.

A bill to give the National Judicial Council the authority to set and adjust the pay of judges and judicial staff was also rejected, along with a proposal to create Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State.

The bills were grouped and voted on collectively, but they didn’t get enough support to proceed.

Although efforts were made to vote on them individually following appeals from the House Committee on Rules and Business, the attempts failed.

Lawmakers may revisit the bills on Wednesday after several attempts at separate voting failed following appeals by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business.

KanyiDaily recalls that the House of Representatives recently moved a step closer to tackling election-related crimes by passing a bill to create the National Electoral Offences Commission.