Approximately 60 Members of the House of Representatives are reportedly pushing for amendments to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, aiming to shift from the presidential to the parliamentary system of government.
Led by Wale Raji, an APC representative from Lagos State, the lawmakers cite reasons such as reducing government expenses and fostering vigorous policy discussions as motivations for advocating a return to the parliamentary system.
A parliamentary system of government is a government where the head of government who may also be the head of state derives legitimacy from his/her ability to command the support (“confidence”) of the legislature, typically a parliament, to which he/she is accountable.
The demand for transition by the lawmakers came at the heel of uproar in the country over the astronomic rise in cost of living and hardship which experts have said are orchestrated by the removal of fuel subsidy, devaluation of Naira and other harsh economic policies.
Opposition political party members like the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, amongst others have been calling for a cut in the cost of governance by the President Bola Tinubu-led government.