Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has proposed a significant change to Nigeria’s presidency. He suggests introducing a six-year single-term rotational presidency between the southern and northern regions of the country. This proposal was made in a letter to Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, dated August 29, 2024.
Atiku’s plan aims to rotate the presidency among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with each zone getting a single six-year term. He wants to add a paragraph to Section 130(1) of the 1999 Constitution to achieve this. Additionally, he proposes amending Section 135(2) to ensure the president vacates office after six years, starting from their election date.
The former vice president, who lost the 2023 presidential election to Bola Tinubu, has contested for the presidency six times in the last 30 years. His proposal seeks to promote constitutional democracy in Nigeria, especially as the National Assembly reviews the 1999 Constitution. Atiku’s recommendations also address educational qualification standards for political office seekers, internal democracy in parties, and reducing violent takeovers of parties.
