Atiku Writes National Assembly, Proposes 6-Year Single Term for President
- Atiku Abubakar has proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow a six-year single term for the Office of the President of Nigeria
- The former VP and PDP flagbearer in the 2023 election, also detailed his position on power rotation and constitutional review
- This was contained in a letter forwarded to the National Assembly on Tuesday, October 1, 2024
TheTalk.NG journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President and the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election has written to the National Assembly.
According to reports making the rounds on Tuesday, October 1, Atiku requested an amendment to the Constitution, to allow for a six-year single term for the President and state governors.
The Punch reported that the PDP chieftain also proposed rotating the presidency between the North and South in a memorandum to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review.
It is noteworthy that during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, he advocated for a six-year single term for the presidential seat.
Following the 2023 general elections, Atiku has continued to support this tenure proposal.
He stated:
“The office of the President shall rotate among the six geopolitical zones of the federation on a single term of six years, flowing between the North and South on the single term of six years respectively.”
Atiku urged the National Assembly to “amend Section 135(2) to read: ‘Subject to the provisions of subsection (1), the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six years.”
Additionally, he proposed the “substitution of an aspirant” in Section 285(14)(a) with “a voter.”
The former Vice President also suggested that the minimum educational qualification for a person to run for election should be the Ordinary National Diploma instead of the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. He proposed an amendment to Section 65(2)(a) to read:
“He has been educated up to at least Ordinary National Diploma in any recognised academic institution.”
Independence Day: Atiku speaks on PDP crisis, faults APC
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that Atiku Abubakar faulted the ruling APC for the internal crisis in PDP and other opposition parties in Nigeria.
The PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election accused the APC of manipulating the internal process and called on Nigerians to rescue the country’s democracy.
Atiku then called for unity among Nigerians, adding that the Independence Day celebration worth celebrating for Nigerians.
Source: TheTalk.NG
