A group of 35 lawmakers, known as the Reformers, has put forward significant amendments to the 1999 Constitution, proposing a single six-year tenure for the President and state governors.
This sweeping reform also includes the creation of two vice-presidential positions to represent the southern and northern regions of Nigeria.
Among their key proposals, the Reformers advocate for rotating the Presidency among the six geopolitical zones and holding all elections simultaneously.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly on Monday, the group’s leader, Ikenga Ugochinyere, revealed that they have drafted 50 proposed amendments, with six bills already introduced on the House floor.
“One of our proposed constitutional amendments stipulates that the President and the 1st Vice President must be from the same region (either north or south), and that the 1st Vice President will assume the Presidency if the President becomes incapacitated,” Ugochinyere explained. This amendment also defines distinct roles for the Vice Presidents in succession, administration, and economic matters.
Ugochinyere emphasized that these changes are necessary to address significant gaps in the current Constitution.