Ooni of Ife backs move to return Nigeria to parliamentary system

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has supported the push by 60 members of the House of Representatives seeking the return of Nigeria to the Parliamentary system of government.

He made his position known while addressing a delegation of the lawmakers led by the House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda and Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki who visited him in Abuja at the weekend.

The lawmakers visited the monarch to solicit for his counsel, blessings and support for the three proposed bills, which seek to restructure elections at local, state and federal levels.

The bills are 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).

Speaking, Oba Ogunwusi said there was the need to create a healthy competition among the six geopolitical zones in the country, adding that the parliamentary system will effectively unlock and harness the country’s huge natural and human resources for effective development.

He described the current presidential system as accidental, regretting that the parliamentary system of government practiced after independence was short lived because of military incursion, which toppled the democracy ushered in military regimes and ended up with the Presidential system after transition in the early 70s.

Earlier, Rep. Chinda expressed grave concerns that there are many challenges facing the country.