Politics
Between True Federalism And Sovereign National Conference
Some eminent Nigerians, rose from a meeting in Lagos recently and called on the Federal Government to urgently convoke a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to address the myriad of crisis currently confronting the nation.
At the end of a two-day National Dialogue organized under the aiges of National Summit Group (NSG), the group made up of politicians, elders statesmen, civil rights activists, business men, academics, traditional and religious leaders, organised labour as well as security agents, emphasised the need for a Sovereign National Conference. They insist that it has become imperative to convoke a national conference comprising various constituent units of the country that would produce valid and true document to serve as the people’s constitution.
Also another group of Nigerians have canvassed for true fiscal federalism as the panacea to the myriad of problems facing the nation.
The call for either the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference or true fiscal federalism as envisioned by the authors of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is not new.
The late elder statesmen, Anthony Enahoro’s National Democratic Coalition (NADECCO) was among the first groups to champion the fight for the convocation of a sovereign national conference dating back to the birth of the nation’s nascent democracy in 1999.
The South-South People’s Assembly (SSPA), an umbrella socio-political, cultural and ethnic body of the Niger Delta province, comprising, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa and Edo states has also been a formidable voice in the call for sovereign national conference and the practice of true fiscal federalism.
It is believed in some quarters that it was SSPA’s pressure that forced the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to pick Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to serve as running mate to the late Musa Shehu Yar’Adua in 2004. The agitation by SSPA and others also contributed to the election of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, from the South-South geopolitical zone, a minority as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the first time in the political history of Nigeria.
Although constitutionally, Nigeria is a federation, in practice, many political scientists have continued to insist that Nigeria is a quasi federalism.
A part of the preamble of the 1999 constitution says inter-alia “We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria …and to provide for a constitution for the purpose of promoting a good government and welfare of all persons in our country on the principles of freedom, equality and justice and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people, do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following constitution”.
The advocates of SNC have emphatically and repeatedly argued that the 1999 constitution did not come into existence through a properly constituted Constituent Assembly or Constitution Drafting Committee.
Speaking at the legislative summit on South West Integration at Ibadan recently a House of Assembly member from Ekiti State, Ayodele Odu (Trepodun/Ifelodun) constituency said “the 1999 constitution is decree 24 of 1999. It is an outdated constitution foisted by Abdulsalami.
He described it as a fraudulent constitution that told a lie against itself. The National Assembly can amend it, but it cannot make a new constitution for Nigeria. It is anti-historical to give the task to them. He said constitution making is the job of a Constituent Assembly.
Agitators of SNC reason that the various ethnic nationalities that make-up the country, for example the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the Arewa Consultative Council, the Odudua Peoples Congress, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, etc or their representatives should meet on a round-table to dialogue and formulate a people’s constitution.
“We have 484 ethnic groups in Nigeria. We have to go back to basics Awolowo said we cannot avoid a federal system. The military constitution is masquerading as a constitution”, Ayodele Odu said.
In an interview with The Tide, Mr. Victor Burubo, the publicity secretary of INC, said the various ethnic groups have the right to meet and dialogue on how they should live together but such a dialogue or conference must be representative enough and not some selected individuals meeting to take decisions.
Chief Bob Fredricks, a former member of the 3rd Assembly, Rivers State House of Assembly and now an executive member of the INC, is of the view that SNC is a meeting where the national issues like true fiscal federalism will be discussed.
He said anybody from the Niger Delta opposing the call for SNC should be considered a traitor.
On the other hand, those opposed for the convocation of the SNC fear that the convocation of such conference at this point of the nation’s political history or development might be detrimental and may do more harm to the nation’s unity.
The opponents of the SNC also argue that the National Assembly as presently constituted is a representation of the people of Nigeria across the various ethnic nationalities.
They also reason that the National Assembly has the power and mandate to dialogue, discuss and make laws for the people they represent.
Chapter one, part two, paragraph four, section one of the 1999 constitution states that “the legislative power of the federal republic of Nigeria shall be vested in a National Assembly of the federation which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives”.
In reaction to the agitators for the convocation of SNC. The National Assembly described the call as diversionary and unnecessary saying that it would not work and urged its agitators to channel their grievances through the National Assembly.
According to the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Zakari Mohammed, the call for Sovereign National Conference is diversionary and unnecessary.
He said “Sovereign National Conference is the thinking of some idle minds adding, that convening SNC is about representation of Nigerians and you already have representation of Nigerian in us, one of the most credible elections that INEC conducted was the election that brought us to office. So people in the National Assembly are representing the Nigerian people.
Zakari Mohammed opined “security matters have occupied the front burner of national discourse. We have been inviting the service chiefs for private meetings from time to time to find solutions to the problem”.
He said, loss of confidence in institutions has been like that over time, but it’s not fair for people to say they want to convene SNC for now.
“Are we going to conduct election to bring on representations for the SNC? How many ethnic groups do we have in Nigeria? Is every ethnic nationality going to be represented” he asked adding that if they have a template for discussion there are representatives to address such.
“Those calling for a break up of Nigeria (may be those calling for the SNC) don’t mean well for us. We cannot reduce ourselves to tribal forces and begin to play local champions. Nigeria is a unique country of several ethnic nationalities bonded together by nationality” he remarked.
In his reaction, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media, Information and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe told those agitating for a SNC to shelve the idea because it cannot work and advised them to channel their grievances through the National Assembly.
Senator Abaribe drew the attention of those calling for SNC to the fact that there already exist elected representatives of the people and that all Nigerians are either represented by a member of the House of Representatives or a Senator.
He said “we do not understand the position of those who want SNC” noting that the National Assembly is not against any group of people coming together to discuss issues they felt concerned them”.
However, Mr. Burubo, INC Publicity Secretary, is of the view that the National Assembly is made up of politicians who largely represent their political parties’ interest and personal interest who may know little of the felt need of their ethnic nationality adding that they are just a negligible percentage of the people.
Senator Olorunimbe Mamora and Rev Tunji Adebiyi, Lagos State Special Adviser on Regional Integration have already drawn attention to the limited powers of the National Assembly to make people’s constitution for the country explaining that while the legislators have the mandate to make laws for the country, they are handicapped in making a constitution.
The National Assembly, it is said can only review the constitution and cannot make a new constitution. Making a new and people’s constitution can only be done by bodies outside the parliament put up by the ethnic nationalities.
On why the nation could not practice true federalism despite the fact that Nigeria is a federation, Dr. Monday Okonny, an elder statesman and two-time commissioner in the old Rivers State, blamed the National Assembly for not living up to expectation.
“We need to practice true fiscal federalism, states having their own police etc.” he said.
Again Chief Bob Fredricks, former lawmaker in Rivers State also insist that the SNC would be the only meeting where issues of true fiscal federalism can be meaningfully discussed.
He pointed out that when Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, the nation was practicing true fiscal federalism. Each region produced what they had and paid tax to the centre. But that system, he said was killed by the military. We now run a sort of military system as opposed to federalism, hence, every now and then, the state governors have to run to Abuja for either federation account meeting or allocation meeting etc.
It was William E. Berah (1865-1940), a Senator in U.S.A who said “the marvel of history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their government”.
It is true that the 1999 constitution did not come into existence through the normal constitution making process. But the more unfortunate thing is that those who are supposed to apply its contexts are selective. The National Assembly’s move to make selective amendment of certain sections of the constitution gives credence to the fact that the constitution is faulty.
A temporary panel beating efforts by the National Assembly may amount to beating about the bush. The way to go may be to hit the harmmer on the head by having a total review or re-writing of the constitution.
Soye Young-Itiye
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun deploying non-sensitive materials to the zones as it prepares for the 2027 general election.
Acting Chairman of the commission, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday at a bench-marking meeting with a delegation of Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“Right now, all non-sensitive materials are almost ready. In fact, today as we speak here, the non-sensitive materials have been lifted to some zones now,” Gumus said.
She said the commission had completed nine of its scheduled activities and was preparing for the next phase.
“We are preparing for the election next year and we have activities lined up. So far, we have been able to complete nine activities and we are still preparing for the next level of activities,” she said.
Gumus said the commission’s leadership had just concluded a tour of the country’s six zones to assess their level of preparedness.
“The purpose was to go round the zones to see how prepared we are, assess what the zones have put in place, their challenges and what to do. We concluded last week and we can see from our tour that we are really going towards the election proper,” she said.
On Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), the acting chairman said production had been completed and distribution to the states was well advanced.
“As of today, we can say that PVCs have been produced and the first, second batches, most of the states have received them. Their PVC collection is ongoing. All those who are supposed to be the voters are supposed to receive their PVCs, and if they don’t have them, it is also another challenge,” Gumus said.
She added that capacity building was under way for staff at the headquarters and in the states, and that the procurement and deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS devices were also ongoing.
On diaspora voting, Gumus said the commission could not proceed for now because the law did not provide for it.
“Here, because we go by the law, in our electoral law, it is not included there, so we cannot go on for the diaspora voting for now until we amend the electoral law,” she said.
The acting chairman said the commission had arranged for its directors to hold an interactive session with the Kenyan team and present papers on the work of their departments.
Leading the delegation, the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Isaac Parashina, said the IEBC team was in Nigeria to benchmark ahead of Kenya’s general election in August 2027.
He said the team was studying how Nigeria handled its diaspora population and special voting groups, as Kenya sought to widen voting rights for citizens living abroad.
“Currently we have about 12 of them who voted in the last general election, but there is intention to expand to around, I think, 26,” Parashina said, referring to the countries where Kenyans abroad vote.
He said the expansion was a constitutional requirement backed by Kenyan court rulings, and would be enforced progressively.
Parashina said Nigeria’s election, which he noted would come in two rounds, would be closely watched across Africa.
“Everyone is looking at what Nigeria will do because it is the biggest democracy in Africa. The success of Nigeria remains a great success to Kenya and indeed to the continent,” he added.
The High Commissioner thanked INEC for receiving the team despite a tight schedule and wished the commission success.
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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