‘One man can’t govern millions of people’ – Aregbesola supports parliamentary system

A former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has joined those clamouring for the scrapping of the presidential system of government for the return of the parliamentary system in Nigeria.

Speaking at the National Dialogue on Home-Grown Parliamentary System in Abuja on Monday, November 11, 2024, Aregbesola stated his emphatic support for the call, arguing that one man can’t govern millions of people without adequate checks.

The immediate past Minister of Interior, who expressed his disdain for the current executive system of government in Nigeria, insisted that a parliamentary system arrangement is best suited for a multi-complex society like Nigeria.

“If you go on believing that an individual, no matter how beautiful, no matter how good, could have the capacity to govern 120 million people all alone without checks, we are joking. So, by that consideration alone, I am opposed to the executive system of government.

“I believe the collective arrangement which the parliamentary system guarantees is best for a nation like Nigeria if indeed we are committed to advancing the interest of the large population and mass of our people,” Aregbesola said.

Aregbesola, lawmakers push for parliamentary system

Recall that in February, a group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives brought a bill seeking the amendment to the 1999 Constitution to transition from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government.

The lawmakers, numbering about 80, argued that the transition had become necessary to reduce the cost of governance in the face of dwindling revenue and economic quagmire.

Titled, ‘The Bills Proposing Constitutional Alterations For a Transition To Parliamentary System of Government,’ the bill was sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and others.

“Today, we stand on the cusp of history, as lawmakers across party affiliations and regional backgrounds come together to present bills proposing Constitutional Alterations that seek a transition to a Parliamentary System of Government,” a Spokesman for the Parliamentary Bill Sponsors, Abdussamad Dasuki said in a statement.

Dasuki stressed that the imperfections of the Presidential System of Government have become glaring to all over the years, despite alterations to the constitution to address the shortcomings of a system that has denied the nation the opportunity to attain its full potential.