The House of Representatives has approved the second reading of a bill to restructure Nigeria’s system of government. The bill proposes to create the Office of the Prime Minister as the Head of Government and redefine the President’s role as Head of State.

Lawmakers say the goal is to return Nigeria to a parliamentary model—similar to what the country practiced during the First Republic.

Why lawmakers want change

The bill’s lead sponsor, House Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, introduced the legislation with support from 59 other lawmakers. They argue that Nigeria’s presidential system is too expensive and delivers poor results.

In 2024, the group held consultations with several national figures. They visited the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Prof. Ango Abdullahi, former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University. These visits helped build support for the switch to parliamentary governance.

According to the lawmakers, Nigeria saw its most productive era during the First Republic—when the parliamentary system was in place.

What the bill includes

If passed into law, the bill will:

• Introduce the Prime Minister as the Head of Government

• Reassign the role of President as a ceremonial Head of State

• Provide legal guidelines on how both offices will be elected

More reforms under consideration

The House is also reviewing several other major bills that could reshape the country’s political and electoral landscape:

• Governorship reforms: A new proposal would change how state governors, their deputies, and commissioners are elected or appointed.

• Election petition timelines: Lawmakers want to reduce the time it takes to resolve pre-election legal cases by establishing special pre-election tribunals.

• Lawmakers’ suspension rules: Another bill aims to regulate how and when elected legislators can be suspended. This follows the controversial six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan after a clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

• Election threshold changes: A separate bill seeks to revise the simple majority rule for electing presidents and governors.

• Presidential summons: One bill would grant the National Assembly and state assemblies the power to summon the President or governors for questioning on matters like security and governance.

• INEC’s role in party registration: Lawmakers are also considering removing the Independent National Electoral Commission’s power to register political parties. That role would go to a new Office of the Registrar General of Political Parties.

Budget and state creation efforts

Another bill that passed second reading proposes a deadline for the submission of the national budget. Lawmakers say the goal is to improve accountability and ensure timely planning.

In addition, the House continues to receive bills proposing the creation of new states. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu reminded sponsors to submit their proposals before the March 31, 2025 deadline. So far, 30 new states have been proposed, though none meet the constitutional criteria.

What comes next

All the constitutional amendment bills will now go to the Special Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review, chaired by Deputy Speaker Kalu. The committee will review and refine each proposal before advancing them to the next stage.

Conclusion

The House of Representatives is laying the groundwork for major political reforms. From creating a Prime Minister role to restructuring how leaders are elected, lawmakers are pushing for a system they believe will be cheaper, fairer, and more accountable. Whether these changes gain enough political support to become law remains to be seen—but the conversation has clearly begun.