The House of Representatives has voted against a bill seeking to introduce rotational presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The proposal, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, was among seven constitution amendment bills that failed to pass second reading on Tuesday.
During plenary presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, lawmakers also rejected a bill aimed at stripping the Independent National Electoral Commission of its powers to register and regulate political parties. The bill had proposed transferring those functions to a new Office of the Registrar General of Political Parties.
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Other rejected amendments included bills seeking to establish independent offices of State Auditors-General for local governments, increase the number of Federal High Court judges to a minimum of 100, and expand the court’s admiralty jurisdiction. A proposal to empower the National Judicial Council to determine judicial salaries, as well as a bill to create Ughelli East Local Government Area in Delta State, also failed to scale through.
The bills were initially grouped and put to a single vote, which was unanimously rejected. Following appeals from the House Committee on Rules and Business, attempts at separate votes proved inconclusive, with possible reconsideration expected during Wednesday’s sitting.
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