Six-year single-term proposal for president and governors rejected by lawmakers
On Thursday, November 21, a bill that aimed to change the way Nigeria’s leaders are elected was rejected in the House of Representatives. The bill, which proposed a single six-year term for the President and Governors, was sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere and 33 other lawmakers.
During the debate, lawmakers discussed the idea of reducing the president’s and governors’ terms from four years to just one six-year term. However, after voting on the bill, the majority rejected it.
The proposed bill also suggested other changes to Nigeria’s Constitution, including making sure that presidential, governorship, and legislative elections would all happen on the same day. This would allow elections for President, Governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies to be held together, aiming to make elections more efficient and cut down on waste from holding separate elections every four years.
The bill also wanted to make sure that future elections would follow a more inclusive process. It included an amendment to Section 76 of the Constitution, which would have allowed all elections to be held on the same day, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) determining the date in consultation with the National Assembly.
When the Speaker put the bill to a voice vote, the “no” votes won, meaning the bill was rejected. This bill had also been proposed during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan but was also turned down at that time.
