HOUSE OF REPS REJECTS ROTATION BILL, MULTIPLE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS IN BLOW TO REFORM AGENDA
on Tuesday, the House of Representatives rejected a raft of constitutional amendment bills, including a controversial proposal to institutionalise rotational presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The proposed bill, spearheaded by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, aimed to ensure equitable power sharing by mandating that the offices of the President and Vice President rotate across the North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West zones.
However, the bill was met with fierce opposition from lawmakers who raised concerns about its feasibility, constitutional implications, and political motives. When the question was put to a voice vote, the majority rejected the motion.
Also rejected was a bill to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) exclusive power to register and regulate political parties—a function the bill sought to transfer to a newly proposed Office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties. Critics argued that the move would weaken electoral independence and politicise party regulation.
Other defeated bills included:
• A constitutional amendment by Rep. Julius Ihonvbere to establish State Auditors-General for Local Governments and Area Councils in the FCT, aimed at strengthening grassroots accountability.
• A proposal to expand the Federal High Court’s bench to 100 judges and widen its jurisdiction to include admiralty law and inland navigation.
• A bill to empower the National Judicial Council to determine salaries and allowances of judicial officers, co-sponsored with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
• A state creation bill by Rep. Francis Ejiroghene Waive proposing Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State.
The rejection of these bills, many of which had bipartisan sponsorship, has sparked debate about whether Nigeria’s legislature is ready to embrace transformative constitutional changes. Some lawmakers appealed for individual reconsideration of bills, but Deputy Minority Leader Ali Jesse insisted that rescission must be done through a formal motion on notice, a stance upheld by the Speaker.
This session’s outcome reveals the deep political divides and procedural hurdles that continue to stall efforts to reform Nigeria’s governance framework.
