Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and the 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the decision of the House of Representatives to reject the bill proposing a six-year tenure for Nigerian presidents and governors.
Describing the decision of the lawmakers as sad, the former vice president said members of the House of Representatives failed to understand that Nigeria is currently at a crossroads.
The bill sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 33 others, was rejected via a voice vote by the members of the House of Representatives at plenary on Thursday.
The rejected bill proposes a single six-year tenure for elected presidents and governors across the country despite the former vice president sending a memo to the National Assembly earlier in October.
In his memo, the former vice president called for a constitutional amendment that would take establishing a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors into consideration.
He also proposed a rotation of the presidency between the North and Southern part of the country.
In a reaction to the decision made by the House, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide said his principal expected that the bill would mandate those elected into the two offices remain focus at delivering on their responsibilities to the people.
He said the bill was expected to eliminate distraction by politics for those elected into the office of the president or governors’ seats.
He said, “So, it is sad that it was rejected, and we need to ensure that the laws we make promote the well-being of Nigerians and strengthen democracy in both word and deed.
“That is what this law was meant to do. Unfortunately, the House did not see this. It is unfortunate, and we hope that it is revisited, so they can realise that they have made a mistake,” he said.
