Thirty-five members of the House of Representatives, under the auspices of Reformed Minded Lawmakers have proposed a single term of six years for the Nigerian president and state governors.
The lawmakers made this known today, June 10, while addressing a news conference at the National Assembly complex Abuja on the six bills they sponsored which have passed through the first reading on the floor of the House.
The group of lawmakers said that the bill when passed into law will provide for the conduct of all elections, from the local government to the presidency in one day to save costs for the nation.
The lawmakers also proposed that all pre-election matters be concluded 30 days before the conduct of an election, adding that going ahead with an election when pre-election matters are still in court has not been helpful to the electoral process.
Spokesman of the group, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere said it is their view also that the constitution be amended to include a rotational presidency with cognisance of the six geopolitical zones and the introduction of two vice presidents to take care of emergencies such as the death of the President.
According to him, the 1st vice shall be a succession Vice president, while the 2nd Vice president shall be a Minister in charge of the Economy, and both shall be Ministers.
The lawmaker said, “We are a group of over 30 reform-minded lawmakers from different political parties who have come together and are committed to ensuring a working Nigeria using legislative instruments within our power to, ensure the reduction of cost of governance and campaigns, unite our country, ensure a seamless transition, continuity, uninterrupted development, justice, equity, independence of INEC, efficient use of state resources, tackle nepotism, state capture, and corruption in electoral processes, etc.
The group is also advocating 14 days for the electoral umpire to provide certified true copies of electoral documents to candidates who want to file a petition while advocating a one-year jail term for the electoral officer who refuses to provide such documents.
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