Bill Limiting Acting President, Others to Single Substantive Tenure for Second Reading

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
A bill seeking to limit anyone who serves as acting president or acting governor to a single electable term will undergo second reading in the House of Representatives when member resume from recess.

The bill, sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, defines acting capacity as someone who serves, by reasons of the death, resignation or impeachment of the predecessor.

“…No person who had held the office of president or governor of a state or acting as president or governor of a state for more than two years of a term, to which some other persons were elected president or governor, shall be elected to the office of president or governor of a state more than once,” the bill proposes.

If passed into law, any person chosen to act as president or governor of a state for more than two years in a four year term, will complete his predecessor’s tenure, and then be eligible to contest same office only once.
Lasun’s spokesperson, Mr. Wole Oladimeji, recalled in a statement yesterday that the bill has passed through first reading in the House.

The aim is to protect the two term tradition from being abused, the statement noted.
“By virtue of the combined provisions of sections 137(1)(b) and 182(1)(b) of the constitution, the president of Nigeria and governor of a state shall serve in those capacities for a maximum period of eight years”.

“However, the constitution equally envisaged circumstances where a person can be chosen to act as president or governor.  These include: when the president or a governor resigns, dies or is impeached,” the statement added.

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