Atiku Proposes Six-Year Single Term for President and Governors with Rotational Presidency Between North and South

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has proposed several amendments to the 1999 Constitution, including the rotation of presidential power among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

A statement from his media office on Wednesday, October 2, indicated that Atiku submitted these proposals in a memorandum dated August 30 to Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.

Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), aims to amend Section 130 (1) of the constitution to state: “”The office of the president shall rotate among the six geopolitical zones of the Federation on a single term of Six Years flowing between the North and South on the single term of Six Years respectively.”

He also wants the amendment of Section 135 (2) of the document to read “subject to the provisions of the subsection (1), the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of Six Years commencing from the date.”

Atiku’s proposals come roughly four months after some members of the House of Representatives introduced a bill advocating for the rotation of the presidency between the North and South, along with the creation of a second vice president.

The lawmakers, known as “The Reformers” and led by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), argued that these proposals, if implemented, would help reduce the cost of governance and offer other benefits.