A bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 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, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
If passed, the bill will replace the current presidential system with a parliamentary model, where executive powers will be vested in a Prime Minister elected by the legislature, while the President will serve as the ceremonial Head of State.
It is among 32 Constitution amendment bills that scaled second reading in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Recall that 60 members of the House of Representatives had February 14, 2024 introduced three bills proposing alterations to the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) to transition from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government by 2031.
The bills are the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1115); Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1116) and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill, 2024 (HB.1117).