The House of Representatives has denied being responsible for a circulating draft bill that proposes a return to the regional system of government in Nigeria.
The draft bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with a New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” has been making rounds on social media. The bill seeks to introduce new laws under the title “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”
The draft, reportedly authored by Dr. Akin Fapohunda, who is not a member of either the Senate or the House of Representatives, appears to be a private initiative. The bill’s preliminary sections argue that the current 1999 Constitution, enacted under military rule, lacks the express consent of the Nigerian people. It advocates for a constitution based on a federal/regional system of government, allowing ethnic blocs within states to manage their affairs autonomously.
House spokesman Akin Rotimi, in a telephone conversation with Saturday PUNCH, dismissed the draft bill, stating, “The Committees on Rules and Business and Constitution Review have confirmed that there is no such bill before them.”
Similarly, Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, confirmed that the bill had not been presented for consideration. Waive explained, “There are two routes to making presentations for constitutional amendments. One is by Honourable members proposing an amendment bill during plenary. The second is by memoranda from individuals and groups to the Constitution Review Committee.”
He further noted that memoranda should eventually be presented as bills sponsored by committee members, and added, “On this specific memo (draft bill) under reference, I doubt if it has come before the Rules and Business Committee for listing. I speak as chairman of the committee.”
Dr. Fapohunda, the man behind the draft bill, spoke exclusively to our correspondent on Friday. He shared his motivation for the proposal, referencing recent actions by the President and historical governance structures.
“The President this week returned us to the old national anthem. At independence, Nigeria embraced a regional system of government. So, I felt we could also revisit the past and return to regionalism,” Fapohunda explained.
He added, “I have done a preliminary draft for Nigerians to ponder over. Next week, I will be seeing my representative in the House of Representatives. We hope that Senators and House members can embrace this modest proposal for a change.”
Fapohunda emphasized the preliminary nature of his draft, expressing a willingness to collaborate on formalizing the bill. “If this is acceptable, we can then sit down and do a proper drafting of the bill,” he said.