Nigeria’s House of Representatives has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment seeking a six-year single term for the president and governors.
The bill, sponsored by Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere from Imo state and 33 other lawmakers, was dismissed during Thursday’s plenary session after a voice vote. Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favor of the majority, as the “nays” significantly outweighed the “ayes.”
The proposed legislation also sought to rotate executive powers among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to promote equal representation and address agitations for state creation. It included provisions for two vice presidents—one from the north and one from the south—and called for the simultaneous conduct of presidential, governorship, and legislative elections.
Under the current constitution, Nigeria’s president and governors serve four-year terms and are eligible for re-election.
This initiative echoes a similar proposal made in September by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who argued for a single six-year presidency with rotational leadership among the geopolitical zones to foster unity.
The rejection highlights the challenge of achieving consensus on structural reforms in Africa’s most populous nation.