National

Reps rejecs bill on rotational presidency, six others

Ngozika Onah
File Photo of the House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted against a bill seeking to introduce a rotational presidency in Nigeria, along with six other constitutional amendment bills that failed to pass second reading.

The plenary session, presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, saw the proposed amendments rejected after they were initially grouped together and put to a collective vote.

Among the rejected bills was:

  • HB. 2291, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, which sought to amend the Constitution to provide for the rotation of the offices of the President and Vice President among the six geopolitical zones.

Other bills that failed to scale the second reading include:

See also
  • HB. 2227: A bill to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its powers to register and regulate political parties, transferring those responsibilities to a proposed Office of the Registrar General of Political Parties (sponsored by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and Hon. Francis Waive).
  • HB. 2288: A bill seeking to establish independent Offices of the Auditors-General for Local Governments and the FCT Area Councils to strengthen fiscal oversight and governance at the grassroots (sponsored by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere).
  • HB. 2279: A proposal to increase the number of Federal High Court judges to a minimum of 100 or a figure to be determined by the National Assembly (Hon. Julius Ihonvbere).
  • HB. 2280: A bill aiming to expand the Federal High Court’s jurisdiction to include admiralty matters, inland waterways, and federal ports (Hon. Julius Ihonvbere).
  • HB. 2281: A bill empowering the National Judicial Council, in collaboration with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, to determine the remuneration of judicial officers and judiciary staff (Hon. Julius Ihonvbere).
  • HB. 2248: A bill proposing the creation of Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State (Hon. Francis Waive).

Following the rejection, efforts were made to conduct separate votes on the bills, but these failed despite appeals by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business. The bills are likely to be reconsidered on Wednesday.