Nigerian lawmaker proposes return to parliamentary govt

A member of the House of Representatives, Abdusamad Dasuki, has called the current presidential system a faulty foundation, saying Nigeria is not working.

Dasuki proposed a return to the parliamentary system used during the First Republic during an interview session on Channels Television on Friday.

Dasuki, representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency in Sokoto State, argued that the current system lacks accountability and has failed to deliver representative democracy.

According to him, Nigeria is in a “state of quagmire” and “like a house with a faulty foundation,” as the current system has not been able to deliver representative democracy where members of the executive arm of government, beginning with the President, are fully accountable to the people of Nigeria.

He blames the system itself, not the people, for concentrating too much power in the executive branch, leading to potential corruption.

“Things are not working in Nigeria, we can’t deny that fact. This (the move for a parliamentary system) is not something that started with this Assembly, some of us that were in the 8th Assembly believed that there was something that was fundamentally wrong with the system,” Dasuki said.

“The system is faulty. Some will say it is the Nigerian factor, the Nigerian people and all that, but the system itself gives you so much power and power corrupts absolutely.

“Our founding fathers had the foresight to believe that Nigeria is a plural state, and everything must be pluralistic. Let’s have a situation where even if it is the elite coming together to come up with what works for us.”

A parliamentary system, according to Dasuki, will not produce unaccountable, inefficient, or corrupt cabinet members because they can be recalled by elected representatives whenever the people believe they are not doing their best.

He noted that the country “wants a leader where, every single day, you are on top of the situation; you are able to relate with citizens. A leader should be able to communicate and say what’s going on.”

The lawmaker said he and his colleagues in the lower chamber are proposing that the parliamentary system start with the local government election in Nigeria in 2027.

He proposed that the local council polls should be regularised with the general elections.