Written by Henry Umoru
ABUJA – With the commencement of the review phase of the amended 1999 Constitution, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has commissioned a recommendation for rotation of the office of President among the six geopolitical zones of the federation on a single basis. Submitted to the meeting. A six-year term running between the North and the South.
The Atiku proposal dated August 30, 2024, addressed to the Senate Vice President and Chairman of the Senate Constitutional Review Committee, Sen. Barau Jibrin, also included recommendations bordering on topics such as academic qualification procedures for candidates. elections, internal democracy of political parties, rotation of the presidential position among the six geopolitical zones of the country, etc.
In a document obtained yesterday, the former vice president stated that Article 135, Section 2 of the Constitution should be amended as follows. Six years have passed since that day.
In a briefing on the proposal, Atiku said that the amendments sought in the constitutional review are aimed at improving the educational standards of those seeking political office and halting the violent takeover of political parties. He said that this would strengthen internal controls. Political party structure.
Another objective is to reduce the tendency of political parties to violate the Constitution, electoral laws, rules and guidelines established thereunder, and party constitutions.
He said: “What this means is that political parties are given very wide freedom to go beyond the ambit of electoral law.
“Such indiscipline and disloyalty to electoral standards by political parties creates chaos in the system. The above amendments will establish the discipline necessary for democracy.”
He said the recommendations he submitted to the National Assembly for amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws were areas where there were pitfalls in the current law regulating elections in Nigeria.
