The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its powers to register and regulate political parties. The proposal aimed to transfer these powers to the office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties.
The bill, co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, and Francis Waive, was presented for second reading but was voted down after a voice vote conducted by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary.
The House also rejected another constitutional amendment bill, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, seeking to establish the principle of rotation for the offices of the President and Vice President among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West.