Reps shoot down rotational presidency proposal, 6 other amendment bills

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted down a bill that proposed rotating the office of the president among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

During the session presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, lawmakers also rejected six additional constitutional amendment bills. All seven proposals failed to pass the crucial second reading stage.

Among the bills was one seeking to transfer the authority to register and regulate political parties from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to a newly proposed Office of the Registrar General of Political Parties. This legislation was sponsored by Hon. Abbas Tajudeen and Hon. Francis E. Waive.

Another notable bill—tabled by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu—sought to institutionalize rotational leadership at the federal level, specifically between the six zones: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West.

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Also defeated was a proposal by Hon. Julius O. Ihonvbere aimed at establishing and empowering independent Offices of the Auditors-General at the local government level and in the Federal Capital Territory. According to the bill, the initiative was designed to enhance fiscal responsibility and governance at the grassroots.

Hon. Ihonvbere also fronted a bill advocating for the increase in the number of judges in the Federal High Court to a minimum of 100, a measure that did not survive the House vote.

In a related effort, lawmakers rejected a constitutional amendment expanding the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction to include admiralty matters such as shipping, inland waterways—including the River Niger and River Benue—and federal ports.

Additionally, the chamber turned down a bill granting the National Judicial Council (NJC) authority to determine and review, in collaboration with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the remuneration of judicial officers and judiciary staff.

Finally, a motion to create Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State, brought forward by Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, also failed to gain the necessary support.

Initially, all seven proposals were bundled and voted on as a group but were rejected outright. Subsequent efforts to conduct separate votes also failed, despite intervention from the House Committee on Rules and Business, which suggested revisiting the motions on Wednesday.