Former Vice President and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has proposed a six-year single-term rotational presidency between Nigeria’s northern and southern regions.
Atiku submitted this recommendation in a letter dated August 29, 2024, addressed to the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who also serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.
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The proposal was made public this week.
Atiku’s submission calls for an amendment to Section 130 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, suggesting the insertion of a clause that would mandate the office of the President to rotate among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, alternating between the North and South.
Each zone would have a single term of six years.
The proposed amendment also seeks to modify Section 135 (2) of the Constitution to stipulate that the President would vacate office after serving a six-year term, with no option for re-election.
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This arrangement, according to Atiku, would ensure fairness and equal representation across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
Atiku, who has unsuccessfully contested for the presidency six times over the last three decades, lost the 2023 election to former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His recent proposal is part of his continued advocacy for structural reforms in Nigeria’s governance system.
