Breaking: Reps want presidential system scrapped, opt for parliamentary

At least 60 House of Representatives members on Wednesday proposed a bill to amend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and return the country to a parliamentary system.

The lawmakers want the current presidential system of government scrapped as part of efforts to reduce the cost of governance, Persecondnews reports.

Rep. Wale Raji (APC-Lagos State) is a major proponent of the bill, which was read for the first time on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The lawmakers hinged the change on the imperativeness of reducing government costs as well as ensuring robust debates.

One of the biggest differences between these two systems is that in a presidential system, the people directly elect the president, whereas in a parliamentary system, the legislature is supreme and chooses a prime minister from among its members to serve as the head of state.

Because parliament also appoints ministers, there is also no obvious division of powers between the legislature and the executive.
The bill, if passed, will, however, require the assent of the president to become law.

If the president declines to assent, the National Assembly can override his veto with the votes of two-thirds of the members.