The Patriots, a non-partisan group of eminent Nigerians has urged President Bola Tinubu to convene a National Constituent Assembly to produce a people’s democratic constitution for the country.
The group said the new constitution become imperative as the existing one has no capacity to take the country to the promise land, adding that the constitution is also responsible for the prevailing situation in the country.
Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General who led the group on the visit to the president on Friday said the leaders of thought conveyed to the president the view that Nigeria needed a people’s democratic constitution.
The group comprising three representatives each from the six geopolitical zones include: General Ike Nwachukwu, Prof Anya O Anya, Senator Ben Obi (South East); Madam Pauline Tallen, Chief Pogu Bitrus, Barr Abubakar Azara (North Central); Senator Shehu Sanni, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, Engr Andy Yakubu (North West).
Others are: Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, Lady Ann Kio Briggs (South South); Dr Abdujallil Tafawa Balewa, HE Boni Haruna, Alhaji Ado Yakubu Wanka (North East); Chief Olusegun Osoba, Prof Anthony Kila, Veteran Olawale Okunniyi – Secretary of the Delegation, (South West).
The group urged President Tinubu should immediately send a presidential bill to the National Assembly, so that a constituent assembly would be put in place and be mandated to produce a new constitution that will put into consideration the plurality of the country.
The draft should also be subjected to a National referendum that should give the people a new constitution, expected to tackle many of challenges in the country.
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The group which said the new constitution can be put together in nine months, added that what we have presented was responsible for the challenges bedeviling the country.
“We affirmed to Mr. President that Nigeria is a pluralistic country. And you all know that pluralistic countries exist all over the world. Those of them that addressed their pluralism by having true federal constitutions have survived. Example is India and Canada.
“But those pluralistic countries that failed to address their basic challenge of pluralism through federal Constitution have ended up disintegrating. Examples of that is Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia
and here in Africa, Sudan.
“These countries existed in the case of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia for about 100 years as one country, but they eventually disintegrated because they could not manage their pluralism through a truly federal constitution.
“We put some proposals to Mr. President and we urged him to send a president’s executive bill to the National Assembly, a bill that will call for two essential measures.
“One the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, to be mandated to produce a new draft constitution. And we suggested that such National Constituent Assembly should consist of individuals elected by the people on non party basis.
“Three individuals per state, per each of the 36 states and one from the Federal Capital Territory and they should be mandated to produce a new draft constitution. And we also suggested that in the bill, the National Assembly should be asked to legislate for a National Referendum because as our laws stand at the moment, we have no provision for a National Referendum.
“We concluded by saying that the draft constitution to emerge from the constituent assembly should be subjected to the National Referendum in order to give the peoples of Nigeria a chance to determine the new constitution,” Anyaoku disclosed.
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