Lawal concluded by encouraging all stakeholders to “use the correct terms and help the Nigerian people understand the system we actually operate.”
By TheInvestigator
Kunle Lawal, Executive Director of the Electoral College Nigeria, has called on media professionals, civil society actors, and civic influencers to desist from mislabeling Nigeria’s National Assembly as a “parliament,” stressing the importance of using constitutionally accurate language in civic discourse.
In a strongly worded message posted on Facebook, Lawal cautioned that misusing the term “parliament” could contribute to public misunderstanding of Nigeria’s system of government.
“Let’s be clear: Nigeria is not a parliamentary democracy. We operate a presidential system of government, modelled after the United States and not the United Kingdom,” he wrote.
He emphasized that in Nigeria’s constitutional structure, the legislature is officially known as the National Assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives in a bicameral arrangement.
“Using the term parliament is not only constitutionally inaccurate, but it also risks distorting public understanding of how our democracy functions,” Lawal stated.
He explained the key differences between a parliamentary and a presidential system, noting that in a parliamentary democracy, the executive is drawn from the legislature and is directly accountable to it. However, in Nigeria’s presidential system, “the executive is independent of the legislature, each arm with its separate powers as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
Lawal’s appeal comes amid a growing trend in media reports and activist commentary where the National Assembly is frequently referred to as “parliament”—a term he argues reflects colonial or foreign influences rather than the realities of Nigeria’s constitutional framework.
“Words matter. Governance education matters even more,” he urged. “Dear media professionals, civil society actors, and civic influencers, we need to reflect the system we practice, not the one that we got from studying in the UK.”
Lawal concluded by encouraging all stakeholders to “use the correct terms and help the Nigerian people understand the system we actually operate.”