A bill before Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review may bar the North-West, South-West, and South-South geo-political zones from fielding a presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections.
This development could significantly reshape the political landscape of Nigeria. The ongoing amendments to specific provisions of the 1999 Constitution would introduce new criteria that could exclude these regions from presenting presidential flagbearers.
The bill is intended to make for equitable distribution of political power across the country’s six geo-political zones.
It calls for “An Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to make provisions for rotation of power among the geo-political zones, senatorial zones and federal constituencies in presidential, governorship and senatorial elections in Nigeria.”
Honourable member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Benue State, Ojema Ojetu proposed the bill. If passed into law, it will bar zones that have produced the President of Nigeria since the return to democratic governance in 1999.
It will require the alteration of Section 133 of the constitution, by inserting sub-sections 2, 3 and 4 to the nation’s extant laws.
The sub-section 2 of the bill reads, “The Office of the President of Nigeria shall revolve round the six geo- political zones, with each state holding the office for a maximum of two terms of four years each, to give every section and state in Nigeria a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in Nigeria’s democracy.”
The sub-section 3 of the bill says, “Any zone in Nigeria which has produced a President of the Federal Republic shall not be eligible to produce another President until the other zones take their turns, while (4) says, “The effective date for consideration in the rotation of power shall be 29th of May, 1999 when the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) became effective.”
The bill, according to Ojotu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also seeks alteration to the 1999 Constitution with the insertion of sub-sections 6 and 7.
Ojotu’s proposed legislation also seeks an alteration of Section 48 of the Constitution with the introduction of sub-sections 1 (a) and (b).
1(a) provides that “Senatorial election shall rotate round all the federal constituencies in the Senatorial zone to give a sense of inclusion, participation and representation in the constituencies to engineer social progress and development;” and (b) says that “Every federal constituency in a Senatorial district which has produced a Senator shall not be eligible to produce a Senator, unless and until all other Federal Constituencies produce a Senator.”
The North Central has only produced military Heads of State but never an elected president since the attainment of political independence in 1960.
However, following the return to democracy, Nigerians elected Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State, South-West Nigeria in 1999, even as he went on to win re-election in 2003 and stayed on till May 29, 2007.
Obasanjo was succeeded by the late Umaru Yar’ Adua from Katsina State in 2007.
