The North-West, South-West and South-South geo-political zones of the nation could not subject a presidential candidate within the 2027 basic election if ongoing strikes to change related provisions of the 1999 Structure (as amended) scales by means of.
Sunday PUNCH completely gathered {that a} invoice “For an Act to change the provisions of the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to make provisions for rotation of energy among the many geo-political zones, senatorial zones and federal constituencies in presidential, governorship and senatorial elections in Nigeria,” is at the moment earlier than the Home of Representatives Committee on Structure Overview.
Sponsored by member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Benue State, Ojema Ojetu, the proposed laws, if handed into legislation, will bar zones which have produced the President of Nigeria because the return to democratic governance in 1999.
The invoice seeks to change Part 133 of the structure by inserting sub-sections 2, 3 and 4 to the nation’s extant legal guidelines.
A duplicate of the invoice completely obtained by Sunday PUNCH indicated that sub-section 2 reads thus, “The Workplace of the President of Nigeria shall revolve around the six geo- political zones, with every state holding the workplace for a most of two phrases of 4 years every, to provide each part and state in Nigeria a way of inclusion, participation and illustration in Nigeria’s democracy.”
Sub-section 3 of the invoice offers that “Any zone in Nigeria which has produced a President of the Federal Republic shall not be eligible to provide one other President till the opposite zones take their turns, whereas (4) says, “The efficient date for consideration within the rotation of energy shall be twenty ninth of Could, 1999 when the Structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) grew to become efficient.”
The invoice, in accordance with Ojotu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Celebration additionally seeks alteration to the 1999 Structure with the insertion of sub-sections 6 and seven.
In (6), the proposed legislation offers that “The workplace of the governor of a state in Nigeria shall revolve spherical all of the three senatorial zones within the state, to provide each indigene of the state a way of inclusion, participation and illustration within the improvement of the state; whereas (7) states that “Each senatorial zone in a state which has produced governor of that state in a democratically performed election shall not be eligible to provide a governor, until and till different senatorial zones produce governors of the state.”
That’s not all as Ojotu’s proposed laws additionally seeks an alteration of Part 48 of the Structure with the introduction of sub-sections 1 (a) and (b).
1(a) offers that “Senatorial election shall rotate spherical all of the federal constituencies within the Senatorial zone to provide a way of inclusion, participation and illustration within the constituencies to engineer social progress and improvement;” and (b) says that “Each federal constituency in a Senatorial district which has produced a Senator shall not be eligible to provide a Senator, until and till all different Federal Constituencies produce a Senator.”
The North Central has solely produced navy Heads of State however by no means an elected president because the attainment of political independence in 1960.
Following the return to democracy, Nigerians elected Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State, South-West Nigeria in 1999, whilst he went on to win re-election in 2003 and stayed on until Could 29, 2007.
Obasanjo was succeeded by the late Umaru Yar’ Adua from Katsina State in 2007.
Yar’Adua died in workplace in 2010 and was succeeded by the then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan (South-South) who upon the expiration of that tenure, secured the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Celebration and received the 2011 presidential election.
Jonathan misplaced his second-bid for the presidential seat to Muhammadu Buhari, one other man from Katsina State in 2015 and handed the baton in 2023 to the incumbent President, Bola Tinubu from Lagos State, South-West Nigeria.
Ought to Ojotu secures the legislative nod of his colleagues in Abuja, he would require the assist of the state Assemblies for the invoice to undergo.
