The House of Representatives voted against a constitutional amendment bill on Tuesday, May 13, that would have introduced a rotational presidency across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The controversial proposal, along with six other amendment bills, failed to secure the required support during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

The rejected bill, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, aimed to constitutionally mandate the rotation of the President and Vice President’s offices among the North Central, North East, North West, South East, South-South, and South West zones.

Advocates of the bill had hoped it would address long-standing concerns over regional marginalisation and foster national unity.

READ ALSO: House of Reps advances bill to strip VP, governors of immunity

“This bill was an attempt to ensure equity, fairness, and justice in our political process. No region should feel perpetually sidelined in the leadership of our country,” said Hon. Benjamin Kalu during the session.

However, opposition to the bill was swift and decisive. When put to a voice vote, the majority of lawmakers voted against it, resulting in its failure to progress past the second reading.

The rotational presidency proposal was not the only bill to suffer defeat. Six other constitution alteration bills were also rejected in a bundled vote, sparking dissatisfaction among some lawmakers who argued that each bill should be voted on separately.

Among the rejected proposals was a bill to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the power to register and regulate political parties. Instead, it proposed to transfer those powers to a newly created Office of the Registrar General of Political Parties. That bill, co-sponsored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Francis E. Waive, also failed to advance.

READ ALSO: House of Reps move to create Office of Prime Minister

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Other dismissed bills included proposals to:

• Establish and ensure the independence of State Auditors-General for Local Governments and the FCT Area Councils.

• Increase the minimum number of Federal High Court judges to 100.

• Expand the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to cover inland waterways and admiralty matters.

• Empower the National Judicial Council (NJC) to fix and review salaries and allowances for judicial officers. Create a new local government area, Ughelli East, in Delta State.

Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, who sponsored four of the seven rejected bills, expressed frustration at the group vote approach.

“Each of these bills deals with vital aspects of governance and justice. Bundling them together for a single vote undermines the individual merit of each proposal,” he lamented.

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Following the vote, the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business appealed for the bills to be reconsidered individually.

However, attempts at separate voting were unsuccessful before the session ended. Sources within the chamber indicated that the bills may be revisited on Wednesday, giving lawmakers a chance to debate and vote on each measure independently.

For now, however, the rejection marks a significant setback for constitutional reform efforts to restructure aspects of Nigeria’s political and judicial systems.

Three senators from Kebbi State officially defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), strengthening the APC’s hold on the 10th National Assembly.

The Senate confirmed the defection of Senators Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) during plenary on Tuesday.

They decided to cross the aisle just days after meeting with President Bola Tinubu and tendered their resignation from the PDP.

APC Now Holds 68 Seats in Senate

With the trio’s defection, the APC now commands a clear majority in the upper chamber with 68 senators.

The new party composition in the Senate is: APC – 68, PDP – 30, Labour Party – 5, Social Democratic Party – 2, New Nigeria Peoples Party – 1, and All Progressives Grand Alliance – 1.

The formal announcement was attended by top APC figures, including National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs Yusuf Sununu, underscoring the political weight of the moment.

While the senators have yet to offer detailed public explanations for their defections, sources within the APC suggest the move was brokered through high-level negotiations aimed at consolidating power ahead of key legislative decisions.

The defections also deal a fresh blow to the PDP, which continues to grapple with internal divisions and the loss of key figures, especially from the North West, a region long considered one of its strongholds.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has no chance of winning the 2027 general election due to entrenched selfish interests and poor leadership.

Speaking at his monthly press conference in Abuja on Monday, May 12, Wike criticised the PDP’s internal politics and warned that the party risks collapse if it fails to address internal divisions.

Leadership is key. If you don’t show the right leadership, you will suffer for it. Selfish interest can kill an organisation. You haven’t won an election but you are excluding people,” Wike said

READ ALSO: ‘He came with APC governors’ – Wike confirms peace talks with Fubara

The former Rivers State governor took a swipe at the party’s handling of recent defections, including the movement of Delta State’s governor and his predecessor to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while criticising the silence over the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman’s support for Labour Party Governor Alex Otti’s re-election bid.

“No opposition party allows impunity—it’s only the ruling party. Opposition is supposed to organise itself to take over government. How many people have you wooed? Instead, they are after Wike,” Wike said.

Wike, who supported APC’s Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election while serving as a PDP member, defended his actions, citing his loyalty at the state level.

READ ALSO: Saraki gives fresh update as PDP stakeholders hold crucial meeting in Abuja

“I’m the only former governor who didn’t support the PDP presidential candidate but ensured PDP won 100 per cent in Rivers.”

He warned that repeating the party’s 2023 strategy would be disastrous: “This smartness will not help you. Wike is telling you now to stop this smartness.”

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