The House of Representatives has rejected the second reading of a bill to provide a single six-year term for presidents and governors.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and 33 others, was rejected at the plenary on Thursday.

It also seeks to provide that all elections should be held on the same day and other provisions.

The bill was introduced for a second reading by the lead sponsor, Rep. Ugochinyere, and seconded.

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However, when it was put to voice vote by the Speaker, Abbas Tajuddeen, there was a loud ‘Nay’ from the members.

The speaker therefore announced that the ‘nays’ had it, which means the bill was rejected and failed to scale through second reading.

The sponsor, Ugochinyere, while canvassing support for the bill said it was part of the urgent need for constitutional and electoral reforms to address Nigeria’s ongoing issues since independence. He highlighted the sponsor’s commitment to reducing governance costs, ensuring equity, and combating corruption through legislative instruments.

Experts and civil society organisations (CSOs), however, expressed mixed reactions to these proposals.

Dr. Abubakar Kyari of the University of Abuja opposed the move, arguing that governance issues stem from implementation rather than system structure.