House of Representatives: amendments 1999 Constitution,to commence vote on new age for president.

Constitution of cover Art

The committee, which is headed by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Yussuff Lasun, compiled all bills/proposals for amendments to the constitution in line with the legislative agenda of the 8th House.

The age reduction proposal specifically seeks to amend Sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the Constitution.  The sections deal with age qualification for the Senate, House of Representatives; state Houses of Assembly; President; and governors

the amendments 1999 Constitution is to lower the age qualification for presidential aspirants to 30 years.

The leadership positions like Vice-President, state governors and members of the National Assembly, according to the proposal, will also be lowered.The age requirement to contest an election to the Senate is 35 years, under the extant Section 65, while for the House of Representatives, is 30 years.

For the office of the governor of a state, the qualification in the extant Section 177 is 35 years.Section 106, the age requirement to contest a state House of Assembly seat is 30 years.For the office of the President, the extant provision in Section 131 is 40 years.

.The proposed amendment also recommends that a Vice-President or deputy governor, whose principal dies in office, shall be entitled to only one tenure after completing the tenure of the deceased.

The recommendations, among others, are in the report of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Constitution Review, which was laid before the House on Thursday.

.The Lasun committee also proposed financial autonomy for local government councils and state assemblies.The committee also recommends that the state/local government “joint account should be abolished.”

There is also a proposal for independent candidates to contest in elections in a bid to allow persons not affiliated to political parties to have a right to seek elective offices.

There are additional proposals on devolution of power to the states by moving certain items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List.