House of reps members propose change from presidential to parliamentary system

Sixty members of the House of Representatives members on Wednesday, February 14, proposed a bill to amend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and return the country to a parliamentary system as a replacement for the current presidential system.

Wale Raji, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Lagos State, prominently sponsored the bill.

Lawmakers who threw their weight in support of the bill claimed that a parliamentary system of government would reduce the cost of governance and favor robust policy debates.

While in the presidential system, the president is directly elected by the people, in the parliamentary system, the legislature is supreme. It elects a prime minister from among its members as the head of government.

There is also no clear separation of powers between the legislature and the executive because ministers are appointed by parliament.

The bill will require the president’s assent to become law and be enshrined in the Constitution.