By Kolawole Ojebisi
The House of Representatives has rejected a bill seeking to tinker with the 1999 Constitution to make provision for rotation of the offices of the president and Vice-President among the six geopolitical zones making up the country.
The sponsor of the bill is the Deputy Speaker of the Green Chamber, Benjamin Okezie Kalu.
Kalu titled the bill: “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Cap. C23, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Provide for the Principle of Rotation of the Offices of the President and the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria among the Six Geopolitical Zones of the Country, Namely: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West and for Related Matters (HB. 2291).
The bill is among the seven constitution amendment bills listed for second reading on the House Order Paper for Tuesday.
The floor was opened to lawmakers to make their contributions following the House Leader’s reading of the titles of the seven constitution amendment bill.
Aliyu Madaki, (NNPP, Kano) sét the ball rolling by opposing the bill.
He asserted that the issue the bill was trying to address had been adequately covered by the constitution under the principle of federal character.
Madaki further argued that the issue of zoning of presidency should be left to individual political parties to decide, saying there was no need to enshrine such provision in the constitution.
Opposing Madaki’s view, Ali Isah (PDP, Gombe), however, said enshrining rotational presidency in the constitution would engender fairness and sense of belonging for all the geopolitical zones of the country.
Rep Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), while opposing the bill, said the proposed legislation “is very injurious to the unity of the country.”
He said enshrining the principle of rotational presidency in the constitution would lead to sacrificing competence on the altar of ethnicity adding that the move could have the unintended consequence of enthroning mediocrity.
“It could play up regional and ethnic interests over competency. It will encourage limited choice of people that can vie for office and it will encourage regional rivalry which negates the spirit of unity,” Soli said.
But Kalu while responding to Soli’s position dismissed the argument on the enthronement of mediocrity, adding that every geopolitical zone of the country has competent and capable people that can occupy the offices of president and vice president.
He said the essence of the bill was to ensure that every part of the country has the opportunity to contribute to the governance and development of the country.
Rep. Shina Oyedeji, in his case, said approving the bill will defeat healthy competition which is the essence democratic ethos.
“Everybody should be given the chance to stand and contest an election in any given opportunity,” he said.
Rep Bello El-Rufai (APC, Kaduna), while opposing the bill said, enshrining the principle of rotational presidency in the constitution would lead to regional and ethnic rivalries given the multiplicity of ethnicities in the country.
After heated debates on the bill, the Deputy Speaker put it to a voice vote and the majority of the lawmakers opposed it with “nays” voice.
The deputy speaker ruled on the nays in accordance with the order of the legislature
