Politics
Politicians Want Speedy Constitution Review
Some politicians in Lagos have urged the National Assembly
to respect the peoples’ wishes by fast-tracking the amendment of the 1999
Constitution.
The politicians told newsmen in separate interviews that the
review of the 1999 Constitution was too slow.
It will be recalled that the Committee on the Review of the
1999 Constitution had set a July 2013 deadline for the conclusion of the
exercise.
Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, the National Public Relations Officer
(NPRO) of the KOWA Party, urged the National Assembly to take the wishes of
Nigerians more seriously.
‘’Things move too slowly here, and that is not the way
business should be conducted in the 21st century.
‘’ Let the National Assembly work speedily on the new
constitution, taking the peoples’ expressed wishes seriously, not just the
position of a few who think they have more rights than others,’’ the KOWA
official said.
Sonaiya said the issue of true federalism should be given
priority, to reduce the excessive powers of the central government, and give
much of it to the states or the regions.
Mr Unimke Nawa, a chieftain of the Progressive Peoples
Alliance (PPA), urged the committee to urgently review the constitution.
‘’The 1999 Constitution still has some grey areas needing
urgent attention.
‘’The Local Government administration, for instance, is left
at the whims and caprices of the governor and the state House of Assembly.
“We need to grant autonomy to this arm of government, which
is closest to the people,’’ Nawa said.
The party chief said the review of the constitution should
be resolved finally at the moment.
‘’ Other areas such as demands for the creation of more states
and pre-election questions also have to be clearly spelt out in the
Constitution as soon as possible,” the PPA official said.
Mr Damian Ogbonna, National Chairman of the Peoples
Progressive Party (PPP), said what Nigerians required was a new constitution
and not a review.
‘’Our preferred position is to have a new constitution
because this amendment does not actually address the issue, because the current
constitution is fundamentally flawed.
‘’If we keep amending a flawed constitution, we are going nowhere,
and the country will not be able to move forward,’’ he said.
Ogbonna said there was need for the national assembly to
organise a constitutional conference, where the people could build a
constitution for themselves.
Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, National Chairman of African Renaissance
Party (ARP), said that amending the constitution would not serve any useful
purpose.
“It is clear that the National Assembly members are not
“loyal” to Nigeria.
“If they are, they would have long abandoned the
constitution amendment and compelled the immediate convocation of a national
conference, to fashion out a new peoples’ constitution,” Ndu said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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