The Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has kicked against regional government.
Speaking on Tuesday, he claimed a regional government will break Nigeria’s unity.
Primate Ayodele explained that a regional system of government will give governors too much power and will not turn out well for the country.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele stated that it will weaken the federal government, paralyze local government but place too much powers in the hands of regional leaders who are governors.
This is coming amid reports that a bill proposing a shift to a regional governance structure in Nigeria will be submitted to President Bola Tinubu next week.
This development follows the House of Representatives’ denial of the draft bill that recently circulated online.
The 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 to be known as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”
The bill’s introduction states that Nigeria has been under the governance of Decree 24 of 1999, imposed by a military government without the people’s consent. It notes the current constitution is not derived from the Nigerian people’s consensus and that there is a call for a constitution based on a federal/regional system.
Reacting, Primate Ayodele said a government of national unity is the best for Nigeria.
In a statement by Osho, Ayodele said: ‘’Regional government will break Nigeria, weaken the federal government, paralyze local government and empower state governors. Governors who will be regional leaders will become too powerful and there will be elimination of checks and balances.
“There will be too much powers for the governors, it’s not good for the country. A government of national unity is the best which will bring involvement of all parties.”
The cleric who has always clamored for restructuring stated that the best way it should be done is by running a parliamentary system of government which can ensure national unity among all parties in the country.
He stated that Nigeria needs a government of coalition and not a system of political parties.
“The best will be a parliamentary system of government, we need government of coalition in Nigeria, not government of political parties.”