Senator Explains Constitutional Amendments

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business,
Sen. Ita Enang (PDP- Akwa Ibom), says the 1999 Constitution can only be changed
through amendments.

Enang made the statement in an interview with The Tides’s
source in reaction to calls that the constitution should be rewritten.

He said the constitution review was aimed at altering those
sections that Nigerians wanted amended to reflect present realities.

According to him, there is no provision in the constitution
than amendment.

“We are planning amendments of sections that Nigerians
suggest should be amended.

“There is no provision for any other process other than
amendment. The constitution says it can only be amended.

“The constitution can only be dealt with as the constitution
has provided. So, it cannot be dealt with by any other means, ‘’ he said.

Sen. Aloysius Etok (PDP- Akwa Ibom) said that only those sections of the constitution that were not working required amendments and not the entire constitution.

“The trouble of Nigeria is not with the constitution. So, if
people say that some portions of the constitution are not working, we have to
amend those portions.

“Why do we have to rewrite the constitution and end up
writing the same constitution?

“What the National Assembly is doing is right in any
democracy. So, there is no need for rewriting the constitution, ‘’ Etok said.

Also, a lawyer, Mr Max Ogar said the process of
constitutional amendment was in line with the practice in advanced democracies.

He advised the National Assembly to ensure that the
constitution review was carried out to its logical conclusion.

“Our constitution is modelled after the 1787 Presidential
Constitution of the United States of America.

“And since that time there have been several amendments to
the American constitution and there has not been any attempt to completely
abandon or dump the constitution.

“So the National Assembly should go ahead with the piecemeal
review as it is already doing. There is nothing wrong with the ongoing process,
‘’ Ogar said.