BY AHMED AKANBI

Newly registered Citizens Democratic Alliance, CDA, has unveiled a sweeping reform agenda centered on replacing Nigeria’s presidential system with a parliamentary model, restructuring the constitution, and entrenching true federalism.

Speaking at the party’s public unveiling in Abuja, National Chairman Tamunotonye Samuel Inioribo said Nigeria’s current challenges are rooted in an over-centralized structure that stifles states and local communities.

Inioribo described the launch as the start of “a nation-building chapter” following the conclusion of legal disputes over the party’s registration.

He said the CDA was founded on principles, not personalities, and will pursue constitutional and governance reforms to build a more inclusive federation.

The party’s central proposal is a mixed parliamentary system.

“We propose a mixed parliamentary system, with a ceremonial President as Head of State and an elected Prime Minister as Head of Government, fully accountable to Parliament,” Inioribo said.

The CDA also called for comprehensive constitutional reforms and asymmetrical federalism to allow federating units to develop based on their capacities while protecting national unity and minority rights.

“Our greatest challenge is structural… An over-centralized system that concentrates power and opportunity in the hands of a few while leaving the majority behind has bred inefficiency, inequality, insecurity, and declining public trust. The status quo is no longer sustainable,” Inioribo lamented.

On security, he said the party supports state policing without federal control.

“Our proposal for state policing is one where the structure will not have to seek approval whatsoever from the centre, because we believe the centre is already too powerful, and that is affecting governance at the grassroots level,” he stated.