House of Reps Rejects Bill on Rotating Presidency Across Zones

The House of Representatives has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to formalise the rotation of the offices of the president and vice president among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The bill, introduced as a measure to promote national unity and equitable representation, was struck down during plenary on Tuesday.

Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki, speaking during the session, said the issue the bill aims to address is already covered by the Federal Character Commission. He cautioned that matters of rotational leadership should not be enshrined in the constitution but rather left to existing political practices.

Madaki also noted that political parties already have internal arrangements to ensure fair distribution of offices during electoral cycles, making such an amendment unnecessary.

The decision has reignited discussions around zoning, equity, and power-sharing in Nigeria’s democratic structure — issues that frequently dominate political discourse in the lead-up to national elections.