The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted against a bill proposing the rotation of the presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
During plenary, presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the lower chamber also rejected six other constitution amendment bills after they failed to pass the second reading stage.
Among the rejected proposals was a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) powers to register and regulate political parties, transferring them instead to a new Office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties (HB. 2227), sponsored by Hon. Abbas Tajudeen and Hon. Francis E. Waive.
Another was a bill (HB. 2291) sponsored by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, which aimed to enshrine the principle of rotational presidency and vice presidency across the six zones: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West.
Also rejected was HB. 2288, which proposed the establishment and independence of State Auditors-General for Local Governments and FCT Area Councils, to promote fiscal oversight and accountability at the grassroots level.
The lawmakers further turned down HB. 2279, seeking to increase the number of Federal High Court judges to no fewer than 100, and HB. 2280, which proposed expanding the court’s jurisdiction to cover admiralty matters, including shipping, inland waterways, and international waterways.
Two additional bills—HB. 2281, which sought to empower the National Judicial Council to determine judicial remuneration, and HB. 2248, which aimed to create Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State—were also rejected.
Initially, all the bills were grouped and subjected to a single vote, leading to their collective rejection. Following failed attempts to vote on them individually, the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business appealed for reconsideration, which may take place on Wednesday.