Tag: Ikenga Ugochinyere

The lead sponsor of the constitutional amendment Bill for a six- year single tenure for the President and governors, Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) has said that they will re-present the bill which was rejected by the House at plenary on Thursday.

 Apart from the six- year- single tenure, the bill also sought an amendment to the Constitution to allow all elections take place in one day as well as the rotation of the Presidency between the North and South and the geopolitical zones of the country.

 However, when the bill came up for second reading on Thursday, members rejected the bill and refused the sponsors the opportunity to lead the debate on the general principles.

 But the sponsors of the bill said they would not be deterred by the decision of the House, adding that all hope has not been lost as more consultation will be carried out on the bill and represented at a later time.

 In a statement in Abuja, Ugochinyere said that the decision on the floor of the House did not put an end to agitation and hope as they will realize this objective.

 He said, “The struggle to reform our constitutional democracy to be all inclusive and provide an avenue for justice, equity and fairness has not  been lost.

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 “The decision on the floor of the House not to allow the bill for six- year- single tenure for presidency/governorship and for power to rotate between north and south, all elections to hold in one day, not to scale 2nd reading does not put an end to agitation and hope that we will realize this objective.

 “This is a temporary setback which does not affect the campaign for an all-inclusive democratic process. We are going to review these decisions and find possible ways of reintroducing it after following due legislative procedures.

 “All I can tell Nigerians is that we will continue the advocacy and convince our colleagues to see reason with us. If elections are held in one day, it will reduce cost, reduce rigging.

 “If power rotates, it will help de-escalate political tensions, and a six- year- single term will go a long way in helping elective leaders focus on delivering their democratic mandate. All hope is not lost, we will continue the advocacy and we hope that when reintroduced our colleagues will support it.”

The lead sponsor of the constitutional amendment Bill for a six-year single tenure for the president and governors, Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) has said that they will represent the bill which was rejected by the House at plenary on Thursday.

Apart from the six-year single tenure, the bill also sought an amendment to the Constitution to allow all elections take place in one day as well as the rotation of the Presidency between the North and South and the geopolitical zones of the country. 

However, when the bill came up for second reading on Thursday, members rejected the bill and not giving the sponsors the opportunity to lead the debate on the general principles. 

However, members expressed optimism despite the House’s decision, stating that hope remains intact. 

They pledged to conduct further consultations on the bill before reintroducing it at a later date.

In a statement in Abuja, Ugochinyere said that the decision on the floor of the House today did not put an end to agitation, saying they will realise their objective.

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He said: “The struggle to reform our constitutional democracy to be all inclusive and provide Avenue for justice, equity and fairness has not  been lost. 

“The decision on the floor of the House not to allow the bill for 6 year single tenure for presidency/governorship and for power to rotate between north and south, all elections to hold in one day, not to scale 2nd reading does not put an end to agitation and hope that we will realize this objective.

“This is a temporary set back which does not affect the campaign for all inclusive democratic process. We are going to review these decision and find possible ways of reintroducing it after following due legislative procedures. 

“All I can tell Nigerians is that we will continue the advocacy and convince our colleagues to see reason with us. If elections are held in one day, it will reduce cost, reduce rigging. 

“If power rotates, it will help de-escalate political tensions and six year single term will go a long way in helping elective leaders focus on delivering their democratic mandate. All hope is not lost, we will continue the advocacy and we hope that when reintroduced our colleagues will support it.”