Rotational Presidency Bill Crashes in House as Lawmakers Clash Over Zoning, Merit and Unity
By IDNN National Assembly Bureau
The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment that would have enshrined rotational presidency in Nigeria’s law — a move that sparked intense debate and exposed deep ideological fractures on the floor of the green chamber.
“We will not legislate division into our Constitution,” warned Bello El-Rufai (APC, Kaduna). “This sets a dangerous precedent.”
The rejected proposal sought to rotate the President and Vice President positions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones — a plan its backers said would institutionalize fairness, but its critics blasted as unconstitutional, regressive, and unworkable.
It was one of seven amendment bills rejected in total.
The Clash: Fairness vs. Freedom
Supporters framed the bill as a long-overdue correction to Nigeria’s uneven power structure.
“All zones deserve their turn,” said Ali Isa (Minority Whip).
“Let’s not pretend fairness doesn’t matter. Zoning could also apply to states — rotate governorship among senatorial zones.”
Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa Ibom) proposed a “sunset clause” to retire the rotation system once all zones had tasted power.
But the opposition pushed back hard.
Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki said zoning was already reflected in the Federal Character principle.
“We don’t need to embed it in the Constitution. Political parties already handle this internally.”
Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) didn’t hold back:
“This is disingenuous. It doesn’t promote unity — it reinforces tribal sentiment.”
Olumide Osoba (APC, Ogun) warned that the bill infringes on political party autonomy and limits Nigerians’ right to freely choose candidates based on merit, not location.
The What-Ifs: El-Rufai Raises the Ghost of Yar’Adua
El-Rufai introduced a real-world curveball — the 2010 death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“What if the President dies mid-term? Will we ask the VP to step down to honour zoning? That’s a constitutional crisis waiting to happen.”
He further argued that entrenching zoning doesn’t cure mistrust.
“There will always be cries of marginalisation in Nigeria — even after this. We don’t fix that with forced rotation.”
All 7 Proposals Rejected — Here’s What Else Was Killed:
Besides the rotational presidency clause, the House rejected:
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A bill to strip INEC of powers to register political parties
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An attempt to expand Federal High Court admiralty jurisdiction
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A proposal to increase the number of High Court judges to 100
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Fiscal autonomy for State and FCT Area Council Auditors-General
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A proposal for NJC to fix judiciary pay scales
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A request to create Ughelli East Local Government in Delta State
What’s Next?
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session, ruled that all seven bills would be relisted for individual consideration in Wednesday’s sitting.
But insiders say the rotational presidency bill is dead on arrival — unless public pressure flips the narrative before 2027.
