A Group Of 60 Lawmakers Call To End Presidential System To Revert To Parliamentary System.

  A Group Of 60 Lawmakers Call To End Presidential System To Revert To Parliamentary System. A movement to replace the present presidential ...

 A Group Of 60 Lawmakers Call To End Presidential System To Revert To Parliamentary System.

A movement to replace the present presidential system with the parliamentary one that was in place during Nigeria's First Republic has been started by a group of 60 parliamentarians.

On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Group submitted a bill to amend the constitution on the House of Representatives floor, potentially initiating a shift to a parliamentary system by 2031.

During plenary, 60 other members and the minority leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), introduced three measures that would change the constitution.

The specifics of the three amendment bills are still pending acquisition by PREMIUM TIMES.

Nonetheless, Abdulsamad Dasuki, the group's spokeswoman, gave journalists a briefing on the bills' synopses.

The MPs, led by Mr. Dasuki, voiced their displeasure with the costly presidential system and the president's omnipotent powers during a press conference at the House Press Centre.

It makes sense that the president of Nigeria seems to be among the strongest presidents globally, Mr. Dasuki remarked.

Over time, the flaws in the Presidential System of Government have become evident to everyone, even with multiple constitutional amendments aimed at rectifying the system's shortcomings that have prevented the country from realising its full potential.

The high expense of governance, which diverts funds from vital sectors like infrastructure, healthcare, and education and impedes the country's progress towards development, and the disproportionate authority granted to appointees in the executive branch, who are not directly answerable to the people, are two examples of these flaws, the speaker said.

The legislators have set a deadline of 2031 for the constitutional amendment that will permit the transfer, indicating their lack of confidence in their ability to approve the bill under the present Assembly.

According to Mr. Dasuki, the organisation wants to start a discussion about how ineffective the existing presidential system is.

He declared, "The bills put forth today seek to restore our government to the form that our forefathers established, which reduced the cost of governance and made it more responsive, accountable, and responsible.

First Republic As Parliamentary System 

Before independence and during the First Republic, Nigeria was governed by a parliamentary system of government. However, that republic was cut short by the coup on January 15, 1966.

The country was administered by the military until 1979, when it overthrew the civil government and instituted a presidential style of government. This period of time was known as the Second Republic.

The MPs' plan aims to bring the country back to the First Republic form of government, which was modelled after the British one and had a prime minister who was also a member of parliament.

The legislative branch provides the executive branch with legitimacy and power in a parliamentary system. Usually a member of the legislature, the head of state (usually the prime minister) answers to it. The intimate ties that are fostered between the legislative and executive branches of government enable effective policy implementation and decision-making.

Nonetheless, some analysts contend that the First Republic's legislative system polarised the nation and made it easier for the military to act because the prime minister was not required to be approved by the majority of people.