A proposed constitutional amendment has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives, aiming to create separate offices for the Prime Minister as head of government and the President as head of state, with a framework for electing them.
The proposed legislation was part of the 32 constitutional amendment bills passed by the lawmakers during Thursday’s plenary session, which was presided over by the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu .
The bill was sponsored by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda and 59 others, seeking to change the 1999 Constitution to introduce a parliamentary framework that will switch executive authority from the President to an elected Prime Minister.
The bill was 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.”
Recall that a parliamentary system was previously operated in Nigeria during the First Republic, with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa serving as Prime Minister and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as the ceremonial President.
The system remained from 1960 until the 1966 when the military coup took place. The system allowed executive authority to reside in the Prime Minister, who was chosen from the majority party in parliament, while the President served as the Head of State.
The other bill proposes changes to the eligibility requirements for presidential, vice-presidential, gubernatorial, and deputy gubernatorial candidates.
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