The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said that the presidential system of government doesn’t suit Nigeria. He recently revealed that Nigeria must work on changing its system of government to progress as a nation.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Tonye revealed that the presidential system cannot work in Nigeria because it can be easily exploited by a few people.
According to him, Nigeria has not built institutions that can hold people to account, therefore, it is best to embrace a system of government that is suitable for Nigerians.
Tonye said that successful nations across the globe have developed a system of government that suits their people, so Nigerians should learn from China, which thought it wise to reject Western political models.
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“This American system that we call the Presidential system in Nigeria, we need to go and readdress it. We cannot import the parliamentary system of the UK, and it will not work here; we cannot import a presidential system, and it will not work here.
Every African in their country are satisfied with the political system and democracy they have, but they will tell you no. Why? Because it is contrary to who we are, absolutely contrary,” he said.
Cole believes that our nation’s system of government should be rooted in our own culture, emphasising that Nigeria had an indigenous political structure before colonisation, and should consider returning to it.
He firmly rejected the idea of Nigeria building institutions that are modelled after the British system because it cannot be accommodated by the Nigerian culture.
“Let us build an African, Nigerian-focused political system, and we will have it. We had a political system before the Europeans came, and we had a political system even when the slave trade was going on. So, what are we running away from? We know what to do,” he added.
