Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked the national assembly to create a single six-year single tenure for anyone who becomes president of Nigeria.

Abubakar, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, said the presidency should be rotational among the six geo-political zones of the country.

In a memorandum to the senate ad hoc committee on the constitution review, Abubakar said he is proposing amendments to sections 130(1), 135(2), and 137(1)(b) of the constitution.

“Add paragraph ‘A’ to section 130(1) to read – ‘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,” the former vice-president said.

“Amend Section 135(2) to read – ‘subject to the provisions of the subsection (1), the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of Six Years commencing from the date.

“Amend Section 137(1)(b) to read – ‘he has been elected to such office before’.

“The implication of the above is that political parties are allowed a very wide latitude to breach the perimeter of laws on elections.

“Such indiscipline by political parties and infidelity to the electoral parameters yield chaos in the system.

“The above amendments will enthrone the discipline that is needed in a democracy.”

The former vice-president said his amendments are trying to address the “pitfalls” in the country’s electoral laws.

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south senatorial district, says corruption has remained endemic in Nigeria because politicians who steal money are celebrated for doing so.

The senator spoke on Sunday in Kano during an interactive session with journalists.

He added that in developed nations, people question the source of one’s wealth, but in Nigeria, you are venerated for flaunting ill-gotten wealth.

“Our major challenge in this country is corruption. Up till now, we have no law that can proactively or even reactively address the issue of corruption in the country,” he said.

“If you see somebody in our system, especially in politics or government, and he is not corrupt, then he is lucky that he is God-fearing.

“Otherwise, it is only in Nigeria that you steal money and you walk freely, and then you are celebrated.

“If you come into an area like this, people would start lobbying you and do ‘dobale’ (genuflecting) for you and he knows that the money was stolen.

“It is only in this country that somebody had no money yesterday or last week, but the following week he buys 10 cars, buys jets and his brothers would fly with him, his mother would fly with him, his uncle would fly with him, and they would say Allah has blessed our son.”

The senator said he has made several attempts to pass a law on unexplained wealth in Nigeria, but that his efforts “never saw the light of the day”.

He said he even approached a former head of state for help to no avail.

“Up till now, there is no law on Unexplained Wealth Act in Nigeria and there is no Executive Order on Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria,” Ndume added.

He also bemoaned the pervasive hunger in the country, while calling for an increase in crop cultivation to fix the problem.

“There is hunger in the land and up till now we have not cultivated up to five per cent of our land… blessed land in Nigeria,” the senator said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has issued certificates of return to the Edo State Governor-elect, Monday Okpebholo, and his Deputy, Dennis Idahosa.

The certificates were issued to them by the INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Edo State, Rhoda Gumus, on Thursday, five days after Okpebholo and his deputy were declared the winner of the poll.

The issuance of certificates of return has officially confirmed Okpebholo and Idahosa as the governor and deputy governor of Edo.

Okpebholo will succeed Governor Godwin Obaseki, who will leave Osadebe House on November 11 after completing two terms in office.

Okpebholo, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, was declared the winner of the tightly contested Edo governorship election on Sunday.

The Returning Officer for the election and the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Faruq Kuta, announced the result at the INEC collation centre in Benin City.

Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, winning 11 out of the 18 Local Government Areas in the state.

His closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, obtained 247,274 votes, winning seven LGAs.

Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata finished third with 22,761 votes.