A bill proposing Nigeria’s return to a parliamentary system of government passed its second reading in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The bill aims to create the office of the Prime Minister as the Head of Government while designating the President as the Head of State.
It was one of 32 constitutional amendment bills approved during a plenary session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
Sponsored by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and 59 other lawmakers, the bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to introduce a parliamentary system where executive power would shift from the President to a Prime Minister elected by the legislature.
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Titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Office of the Prime Minister as Head of Government and the Office of President as Head of State and to Provide for a Framework for the Mode of Election to the Said Offices and for Related Matters,” the proposed legislation reflects Nigeria’s former governance structure during the First Republic.
From 1960 to 1966, Nigeria operated a parliamentary system, with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as the ceremonial President. The system ended following a military coup.
In February 2024, about 60 House of Representatives members advocated for constitutional amendments to replace the presidential system with a parliamentary model.
Led by Wale Raji, a Lagos lawmaker from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the group argued that adopting a parliamentary system at all levels of government would reduce governance costs and promote more effective policy discussions.
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