On Monday, a group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution aimed at improving governance in Nigeria. Led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato Federal Constituency, the group suggested a six-year single tenure for the President and the 36 state governors. They also called for the creation of two Vice President offices, with one VP from the Southern region and the other from the Northern region, where the first VP would be a Succession VP and the second VP would handle economic matters.
The Reform Minded Legislators, comprising about 30 members, believe their proposals on political and electoral reform bills, which are up for a second reading, will help reduce governance and campaign costs, ensure justice and equity, and enhance the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They also aim to address issues like nepotism, state capture, and corruption in electoral processes. Additionally, they proposed an amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 to ensure all governorship elections are held on the same day and suggested rotating executive powers among the six geopolitical zones to ensure equal representation and reduce agitation for state creation.
The proposals also include financial autonomy and accountability for Local Government Councils by establishing an independent Consolidated Local Government Council Account and prescribing long-term imprisonment for misuse of local government funds. Notably, the idea of a single six-year tenure for political office holders has been debated before, with leading opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi advocating for it after the 2023 presidential election. However, past efforts to pass bills for a single term for political office holders have been unsuccessful in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
