Connect with us

Politics

Which Is Better : Should Nigeria Continue Operating Military Imposed Constitution or Formulate New Democratic Constitution ?

The theme of the summit is: “Actualising a constitutional democracy that works for all in Nigeria.”

Published

on

164 Views

Olusegun Obasanjo and Emeka Anyaoku

Former Commonwealth Secretary- General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, shared perspectives on whether or not Nigeria should have a new constitution.

They spoke in Abuja, yesterday , during the opening of a three-day emergency national constitutional summit organised by a group of eminent Nigerians operating under the umbrella of the Patriots.

The theme of the summit is: “Actualising a constitutional democracy that works for all in Nigeria.”

While Anyaoku believes Nigeria needs a new, pluralistic Constitution, Obasanjo said that no such document is perfect and that it is the operators that matter.

Anyaoku dismissed the 1999 Constitution, currently in operation, as a military imposition.

The Chair of the Patriots believes that the country’s pluralistic nature requires a new constitution.To Anyaoku, the present 36 federating units have proven incapable of driving development, adding that 65 years after independence, Nigeria has become the world capital of poverty.

He said: “Nigeria is a pluralistic country, and like all successful pluralistic countries around the world, for its stability and maximal development, its constitution must address its problems.

“Second, it must address its pluralism by being formulated by elected representatives of its diverse people.

“Our present 1999 Constitution, as amended, is not such a constitution. It was not democratically formulated.

“It was instead imposed on the country through a decree by the military administration.

“And the governance system derived from it is not only non-inclusive, but also induces over-expectation of the nation’s resources on administration rather than on capital development.

“As a result, what we see is our nation’s need for a new constitution.

“There is the need for a new constitution, but this is a matter to be made by the people of our country.”

He called for “a constitution that would be in sync with the Constitution of the United States, a constitution of successful pluralistic countries around the world”.

Anyaoku added: “To those who say that the fate of a country depends primarily on its leadership, I say that the Constitution from which the system of governance is derived largely determines the character of the people who get elected or appointed to govern the country from the three arms of the government.”

On the other hands, Obasanjo said said that Nigeria doesn’t need a new constitution but rather needs the right operators of the constitution.

Represented by the Secretary-General of Eminent Patriots, Mr Olawale Okunniyi, the former President agreed that while a constitution must reflect the history, the constituents and the aspirations of a people, “no constitution is perfect.”

Obasanjo said: “From my experience in operating our constitution, I will be the first to point out some areas that need amendment.

However, for me, no constitution can ever be regarded as perfect.

“But whatever the strength or weakness of a constitution, the most important issue, to my understanding and experience, is the operators of the constitution.

“The best constitution can be perverted and distorted by the operators, and we have experienced that all over Africa, Nigeria is not exempt.

“I am more concerned about the operators of the constitution to lead in good governance and promotion of welfare and wellbeing of the citizenry.“No matter what you do to the Nigerian constitution, if the operators of the constitution, for the past one decade and a half, remain unchanged and continue in the same manner, the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians will continue to be sacrificed on the altar of selfishness.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Politics

Anambra House of Assembly suspends Hon Bernard Udemezue ; What’s his offence?

Honourable Udemezue had accused the house of marginalising his constituency over the allocation of constituency allowances and revealed details about the allowances, which sparked controversy on the floor of the house.

Published

on

By

64 Views

The Anambra State House of Assembly has suspended Bernard Udemezue, the member representing Ayamelum Constituency, for three months over matter bordering on misconduct.

The house took the decision after Udemezue allegedly made social media posts deemed damaging to the legislature’s image.

Honourable Udemezue had accused the house of marginalising his constituency over allocation of constituency allowances and revealed details about the allowances, which sparked controversy on the floor of the house

Continue Reading

Politics

Wike Is Vindicated Over PDP Zoning Of Presidency To South, Chairman To North

But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?

Published

on

By

51 Views

The decision of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the presidency to the South, and retaining the National Chairman of the party in the North has been described as another clear vindication of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the G-5’s position in 2022.

The Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who reacted to the zoning, asked:

“Now, that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and has chosen to do what they said, three years later, have they not been vindicated now?”

“Recall that the FCT Minister and the G-5 had insisted that the presidential candidate of the PDP and its National Chairman must not remain in the same zone, insisting that since Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the North had emerged as the presidential candidate, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North must resign to pave the way for a National Chairman from the South.

Ayu, however insisted on not resigning, with Atiku and his group backing him.

The aftermath of this was the electoral misfortune the party suffered in 2023, followed by instability after the elections.

“But today, the NEC resolved that since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 Presidential ticket be zoned to the South.

“Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit? “Sadly, they know the truth.

Wike simply said, Take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!

“They have realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025.

But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?

Continue Reading

Politics

PDP Zones 2027 Presidential Ticket to the South

Published

on

83 Views

The national executive committee (NEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned the presidential ticket for the 2027 election to the south.

Party leaders took the decision during the NEC meeting in Abuja on Monday.

Presenting a communique issued after the meeting, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP spokesperson, said NEC approved recommendations of the zoning committee after “extensive” deliberation.

He said that the existing zoning arrangement for NWC positions would remain in place for the national convention in November to elect a new national working committee (NWC).

“That all PDP national office positions currently in the northern region of the country remain in the northern region,” he said.

“That all PDP national office positions currently in the southern region of the country remain in the southern region.

“That having retained the position of the national chairman in the northern region of the country, the presidential candidate of the party for the 2027 general election is hereby zoned to the southern region.

“That the regions should immediately micro-zone positions within its region for implementation.”

The NEC expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness across the party’s organs, chapters, and structures for the 2025 elective national convention, which is scheduled to take place in Ibadan, Oyo state, on November 15 and 16.

The NEC also received update from the PDP constitution amendment committee and directed the committee to circulate the draft to various organs and chapters of the party for further inputs.

Continue Reading

Trending