A total of sixty members of the Federal House of Representatives are attempting to change the 1999 Constitution in order to move away from the presidential style of administration and toward a parliamentary one.
Wale Raji, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who represents Lagos State, led the lawmakers.
The legislators demanded a return to the parliamentary system citing, among other things, the need to save government costs and have vigorous policy debates.
The head of state and head of government are often two distinct posts in a parliamentary system. The head of government holds all actual political power, while the head of state acts as a ceremonial figurehead with little to no authority. This contrasts with a presidential system, in which the president often serves as both the head of state and the head of government and, crucially, is not elected by the legislature.
Nonetheless, the following have been cited by critics as drawbacks of the parliamentary form of administration.
incomplete division of authority.
Flip-flopping of legislation.
Division in politics.
Democratic lack of responsibility.
In contrast to the parliamentary form, which includes an executive branch that is a component of the legislative branch, the presidential form has separate but equal executive and legislative branches.
What distinguishes a parliamentary government from one based in the US?
Unlike the US government, a parliamentary legislature appoints its executive (the prime minister) and has the easier power to remove the executive through votes of no confidence. In contrast, the president of the United States is directly elected every four years.
