The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment bill seeking to mandate the rotation of the offices of the President and Vice President among the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The proposed legislation was one of seven constitutional alteration bills listed on the order paper for consideration. All seven were rejected.
However, the House resolved to revisit the bills individually on Wednesday and consider each on its own merit.
At the start of the session, the House had suspended its rules to allow concurrent debate on all seven bills, permitting members to choose any for discussion.
The bill on rotational presidency received the most attention, with a majority of lawmakers speaking against it. Many warned that mandating such rotation in the constitution could set a dangerous precedent.
Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki led the opposition, arguing that the Federal Character Commission already addresses issues of representation. He said the idea of rotation should not be constitutionalised but left to political parties, which have mechanisms to ensure equitable distribution of offices during elections.
