On Tuesday, the Nigerian House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment bill proposing the rotation of the offices of the president and vice president among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. This bill, which aimed to enshrine the principle of rotational presidency in the Constitution, was met with significant opposition during the debate.
Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, led the opposition, stating that “the issues the bill intends to cure have already been addressed by the Federal Character Commission,” and warned against including rotation in the constitution. He argued that political parties already have mechanisms to ensure fair representation during elections. Madaki further stressed that the issue of rotation should remain flexible and not be enshrined in the constitution.
Shina Oyedeji (PDP, Oyo) expressed concerns that adopting the rotation principle could spark further agitation among states and tribes within the regions. He questioned, “If you adopt zoning and it comes to the South-West, for example, which state will take the position? Is it Ogun or Oyo?” Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) described the proposal as “ingenious,” but raised doubts about its potential impact on the quality of leadership, arguing that “it will not be in the interest of the country.”
Despite these concerns, Minority Whip Ali Is’a supported the proposal, arguing that the six geopolitical zones should be allowed a fair shot at the presidency. He suggested that the rotation should also extend to the state level to promote fairness in governorship elections, particularly noting, “In 2027, we should allow the presidency to go to the North East for the sake of fairness.”
In addition to the rejection of the rotational presidency bill, the House also voted down several other constitutional alteration proposals. These included a bill to transfer the power to regulate and register political parties from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties; a proposal to create and empower State Auditors-General for Local Governments and FCT Area Councils; an amendment to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court; and another seeking to grant the National Judicial Council authority over the remuneration of judicial officers in collaboration with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
Following the rejection of these bills, the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business appealed to the Speaker to reconsider the decision, suggesting that the bills be addressed individually. However, Deputy Minority Leader Ali Jesse raised a point of order, reminding the Speaker that such a motion to rescind a vote must be introduced as a substantive motion. The Speaker directed the Committee on Rules and Business to list the motion for rescission on the order paper for the next legislative day.
