Bill seeking to create Office of Prime Minister scales second reading at House of Reps

A bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to establish the office of the Prime Minister as the head of government and the President as the head of state has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill also proposes a framework for electing individuals into these offices.

It is one of 32 constitutional amendment bills that scaled the second reading on Thursday in the House.

Among the bills is another proposal to amend the constitution to reserve specific seats for women in the National Assembly and state houses of assembly.

Also considered was a bill aimed at reducing the lengthy process for determining pre-election petitions.

It seeks to establish pre-election tribunals to handle such cases and regulate the suspension of National Assembly members from legislative duties.

Additionally, lawmakers passed the second reading of a bill seeking to review the eligibility criteria for those contesting for the offices of the President, Vice President, Governor, and Deputy Governor of Nigeria.

A bill addressing the status of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) concerning the presidential election also moved forward. Proposals for the creation of Wan State and Gobir State were among those that passed the second reading.

With this latest development, the total number of constitutional amendment bills that have successfully gone through the second reading now stands at 113.