Lawmakers group moves to take Nigeria back to parliamentary system of governance

By Christiana Ekpa

A group of 60 lawmakers, collectively known as the Parliamentary Group (PG), has launched a movement to terminate the existing presidential system in the country and revert to the parliamentary model adopted during the First Republic.
The Parliamentary Group introduced a constitution alteration bill yesterday during a session at the House of Representatives.
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and other members presented three constitutional amendment bills during the plenary.
During a press briefing at the House Press Centre, Abdulsamad Dasuki, the spokesperson for the group, elucidated the key points of the bills.
The lawmakers, led by Abdulsamad Dasuki, expressed dissatisfaction with the costly presidential system and the formidable powers vested in the president.
“No wonder the Nigerian President appears to be one of the most powerful presidents in the world,” Dasuki remarked.
He highlighted the imperfections of the presidential system of government, emphasising the high cost of governance and the excessive powers of the executive members, who lack direct accountability to the people.
Confident in their pursuit, the lawmakers set a targeted timeline of 2031 for the constitutional amendment to facilitate the transition.
Dasuki underscored the group’s aim to ignite a conversation about the inefficiencies of the current parliamentary system.
“The bills presented today seek a return to the system of government adopted by our founders, which made governance accountable, responsible, responsive, and ultimately less expensive,” he asserted.