The House of Representatives has moved a step closer to restructuring Nigeria’s governance system, as a bill proposing the creation of the Office of the Prime Minister as head of government and the Office of the President as head of state passed its second reading.
This bill is part of 32 constitutional amendment proposals that progressed in the legislative chamber on Thursday.
Among them is a bill seeking to allocate dedicated seats for women in the National Assembly and state houses of assembly.
Additionally, another proposed amendment aims to shorten the time frame for resolving pre-election disputes, establish dedicated pre-election tribunals, and set guidelines for suspending National Assembly members.
Other bills that passed the second reading include one seeking to revise eligibility criteria for the presidency, vice presidency, governorship, and deputy governorship positions.
Another amendment addresses the status of the Federal Capital Territory in presidential elections, while separate bills propose the creation of Wan State and Gobir State.
So far, at least 113 constitutional amendment bills have cleared the second reading stage in the House of Representatives.