Restructuring: Buhari group mulls return to parliamentary system

The Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation in Gombe State has decried the expensive nature of the country’s presidential system of governance and wants a return to the parliamentary system.

The organisation made this known in a memo submitted before the All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on Restructuring Nigeria in Bauchi. The memo was signed by Engr. A. Abdullahi, and a copy of it was made available to Daily Sun, on Wednesday.

The group maintained that even though those agitating and clamouring for restructuring of Nigeria failed to proffer cogent reasons for their clamour, there was still the need to revisit the country’s system of government.

The group maintained that the current presidential system was over-bearing in terms of cost and overwhelming in terms of personnel who mostly are political aides.

According to the campaign organisation, the presidential system imposes a heavy financial burden on government and leaves little for development of infrastructure.
The group, therefore, proposed a return to the parliamentary system of government as an alternative.

“This is observed to be less expensive and more encompassing. It operates a unicameral legislature, ensuring that a minister must first be a member of parliament,” the statement explained.

On the issue of devolution of powers, the Buhari/Osibanjo campaign organisation equally decried the skewedness of the Nigerian constitution particularly regarding the exclusive list, which favours the federal government.

It proposed for the some of the items on the list to be handed over the states and to become part of the concurrent list.

While the organisation wants the federal government to retain defence, foreign affairs, national planning, telecommunication, petroleum and natural resources, they recommended for the powers of the federal government to be whittled down.

“While the powers of the federal government is being devolved, correspondingly the budgetary allocation of government should be reduced and that of the states and local governments be increased in similar proportion,” the group said.