By By Habeeb Ibrahim
The House of Representatives has denied media reports of a draft bill seeking to return Nigeria to a regional system of government.
A spokesman for the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi, clarified that the proposal is not a bill but a memorandum or proposal, emphasizing the distinction.
Reports had emerged that President Bola Tinubu would receive a bill proposing a shift to a regional governance structure in Nigeria, but the House of Representatives has denied knowledge of the purported bill.
The denial comes despite a draft bill circulating online, which proposes a new governance model for Nigeria based on a federal/regional system.
The proposed bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, aims to introduce laws that would be known as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024”. The bill argues that Nigeria’s current constitution was imposed by a military government without the people’s consent and calls for a constitution based on a federal/regional system.
According to the bill, federal and regional governments would operate under this constitution, allowing ethnic groups within states to form provinces, divisions, and districts, managing their affairs independently.
However, the House of Representatives has confirmed that the bill is not under committee review, and the author of the bill, Akin Fapohunda, plans to submit the proposed legislation to President Tinubu as an executive bill.
The House spokesman, Rotimi, and the chairman of the Rules and Business committee, Francis Waive, have both denied knowledge of the bill, with Rotimi stating that it is not a bill but a proposal.
