Politics
Still On Constitution Amendment
Since the return of democratic governance in the country, Nigerians have been clamouring for a constitution that will truly reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people. The 1999 constitution which was inherited from the military was charcterised by so many contradictions and sufficiently deficient of democratic ideals. As a result some sections of the Nigerian populace have been calling for sovereign national conference to discuss and decide the essence of their union as a nation.
But the National Assembly has repeatedly disagreed with this school of thought, saying that the legislative arm which is an embodiment of representative democracy is qualified and competent to tackle the issues bothering on the unity and progress of the Nigerian state.
Therefore, an attempt was made by the National Assembly in 2005 to review the Nigerian constitution to address some of the grey areas that were identified by the legislators and the Nigerian public in general. The Constitution Review Committee under the leadership of the then Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, having traversed the length and breadth of the country to canvass for people’s opinions and contributions came up with 120 recommendations, including the vexatious issue of tenure elongation for former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Because of the selfish interest of the proponents of tenure elongation for Chief Obasanjo as they failed to ascertain the mould of the Nigerian masses who were yearning for a better and responsive leadership, the National Assembly was tense and polarized to the extent that it was naturally reasonable to throw out the entire bill on the proposed constitution review.
But the need for the constitution to be reviewed came up stronger and received the attention of the last National Assembly. Consequently, a Constitution Review Committee, headed by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu was set up to address the salient issues. At the end of the exercise there were positive outcomes such as, making primary election mandatory for political parties; the granting of financial autonomy to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), fixing of specific time-frame for treating of election petitions etc. The amendments of these constitutional provisions actually played significant role in sanitizing the nation’s electoral system to considerable extent in the last two years.
Although there is much to be done in this regard, we must start from somewhere in our quest to build a solid electoral system as a basis for a virile and credible democratic culture.
Again, in a bid to do a thorough job the 7th National Assembly constituted another Constitution Review Committee under leadership of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwerenmadu to draw up a bill on proposed amendment of the constitution.
It is interesting to note that the committee has carried out its assignment within the time-frame and Nigerians are waiting for the Senate to commence debate on the bill.
Speaking in Abuja, at a symposium on “The review of the 1999 constitution and its impact on much-needed judicial reforms,” organised by a group known as Rule of Law Foundation, the chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Ike Ekweremadu gave snippets of some of the recommendations of the committee which include, the separation of the office of the Attorney-General (AG) of the federation from that of Minister of Justice, seven years tenure for Attorney-General; financial autonomy for the AG as funds for the office will be made available from the consolidated revenue fund; conferment of powers on the AG to investigate certain crimes and removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other serving judicial officers as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
The committee’s recommendations also cover the devolution of powers, creation of more states, recognition of six geo-political zones in the constitution, constitutional role for traditional rulers and local government councils as well as the need to expunge the Land Use Act, the National Youth Service Corps Act and the Public Complaints Act from the Constitution.
Others are single term of six years for the president and governors, fiscal federalism, financial autonomy for local government councils, state electoral bodies and assemblies, the immunity clause, Nigeria Police, rotation of executive officers, gender and special groups, mayoral for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), residency and indigene provisions.
Ekweremadu explained that the constitution would not be subjected to referendum, noting that the constitution specified how it should be amended and that did not include referendum.
He stressed the need for urgent reform of the judiciary.
“With a morally upright and well-reformed judiciary that applies the letters of the law fairly and timely, the systems manipulation, over-heating of our polity, reign of impurity in high and low places, the blatant disrespect for the law and rape of public treasury would abate considerately.
He said that the proposal for judicial reform submitted by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mustapher was being considered.
In his key-note address, Justice Musdapher stated that the breakdown of law and order in the North-East might not be unconnected with the fact that people had lost faith in the nation’s laws and the justice delivery system.
He said that there was an urgent need to pass the bill for amendment of certain provisions of the constitution that affected the judiciary.
But one issue that has continued to attract national discourse since the recommendations of the committee became public knowledge is the single tenure for the president and governors. Majority of Nigerians that have criticised this recommendation are of the view that it will increase the rate of corruption in the country.
According to them, for a political office-holder who knows that he has a single term the chances are that he may not be useful to the people who elected him into office. They have argued that the country will be worse off in all facets of its national life as little attention will be paid to developmental needs of the people.
Moreso, the lawmakers who are constitutionally empowered to check the excesses of the chief executive will not muster the courage to initiate impeachment proceedings against them since they are equally interested in the spoils of office.
However, there are other issues that should occupy the minds of Nigerians apart from the single tenure. Devolution of powers and fiscal federalism are some of these issues that should be properly addressed by our elected representatives. A situation where so much powers are concentrated at the centre is not in the interest of the federating units.
The president of the country is so powerful that his action or inaction has a multiplier effect on the destiny of this nation. It is an axiom that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Therefore, it is imperative for the National Assembly to critically examine the need for devolution of powers to strengthen and deepen the nation’s democracy.
Another issue that should be given adequate attention is fiscal federalism. It is not justifiable that the federal government should be receiving over 50% of the monthly allocations from the federation account while the 36 states and 774 local government councils in the country should have something less to attend to their numerous financial obligations. It is obvious that the burden of development lies with the second and third tiers of government that are visibly closer to the people. It is morally sound that the states and local government areas that generate these resources should have greater chunk of the revenue. We cannot continue to run a system where federal institutions and projects are poorly funded, abandoned or in deplorable state in spite of the huge budgetary allocations that are available to the federal government to address these problems.
Mighty glad, Nigeria has experienced over fourteen years of uninterrupted democracy, it is incumbent on the law-makers who are major beneficiaries of democratic governance in Nigeria to rise to the occasion by tackling some of these issues headlong and dispassionately.
Therefore, it is expected that the National Assembly will grab this opportunity with both hands and come up with a constitution that will reflect the wishes and aspirations of greeter majority of Nigeria.
The event, jointly organised by LP and ADC to publicly acknowledge the movement of party members, was first scheduled to hold at the LP secretariat in Idimu.
However, chaos erupted when more than 100 suspected thugs reportedly stormed the premises, forcing party members and officials to flee.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, some armed with knives, canes and other dangerous objects, assaulted individuals they encountered during the invasion.
The assailants were also heard chanting hostile slogans, declaring that LP and ADC were not welcome in Lagos State.
Several party members sustained injuries in the process, while party property, including furniture and flags, were vandalised.
Despite the disruption, officials of both parties quickly relocated the programme to an alternative venue, the Eco Centre Event Hall in Egbeda, in a bid to continue the ceremony.
Speaking on the incident, the LP Chairman in Alimosho, Mr Olanrewaju Olushola, popularly known as Heritage, condemned the attack, describing it as unprovoked and alarming, especially with the 2027 general elections approaching.
“What is most painful is that most of my members sustained varying degrees of wounds. This is in spite of the hoodlums going into our party secretariat in Alimosho and destroying our furniture and flags,” he said.
Mr Olushola clarified that the defection itself had already taken place, stressing that Saturday’s gathering was merely a symbolic ceremony to inform the public of their decision.
According to him, nearly all LP members in Alimosho, including the party’s leadership structure, had collectively agreed to move to the ADC.
Also speaking, the party’s Secretary in Alimosho, Mr Moses Akujuobi, explained that plans for an open defection ceremony had earlier been halted by the police, who cited the absence of formal approval.
He said the organisers had reached out to the Area M Commander, ACP Abaniwonda, who reportedly informed them that only the Commissioner of Police could authorise political events in the state.
“Incidentally, we could not reach the CP, but we informed the DSS, after which we went ahead since it wasn’t a rally but a quiet ceremony,” Mr Akujuobi said.
He added that the situation became more tense upon arrival at the initial venue.
“When we got to the venue this morning, we were shocked to see police vans with heavily armed policemen. They informed us that we cannot hold the event and referred us to the police commissioner.
“While we were at it, the hoodlums besieged the place and began to beat people, leading to our deserting the venue,” he explained.
Mr Akujuobi said party officials subsequently contacted members by phone to proceed to the second venue in Egbeda, where the programme resumed briefly.
“We, however, began to contact our members through phones to move to the second venue, which is the Eco Event Centre, and everyone witnessed what took place here.
“The hoodlums got wind of our second venue and equally attacked us, beating up our members again,” he added.
He noted that the decision to defect to the ADC was driven by internal leadership challenges within the Labour Party and protracted legal disputes affecting the party.
Shortly after the hoodlums vacated the second venue, several police vans carrying armed officers reportedly arrived at the location.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has strongly rejected calls by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, over comments he allegedly made on genocide.
The Fellowship described the demand as unjustified and a threat to constitutional freedoms.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Bishop David Bakare, the PFN insisted that Prof Amupitan, like every Nigerian, has the constitutional right to express his views on matters of national concern, irrespective of the public office he occupies.
According to the PFN, the comments attributed to the INEC Chairman were made in his personal capacity and had no link whatsoever with his official responsibilities or electoral duties.
The Fellowship stressed that elections and electoral activities were not involved in the matter, arguing that there was no basis to connect the alleged comments to Prof Amupitan’s role as INEC Chairman.
“We strongly oppose such calls because Prof. Amupitan, as a Nigerian, has the right to make comments on what he observes to be happening in the nation, regardless of his appointment or assignment,” the statement read.
The PFN said it condemned “in every ramification” the suggestion that the INEC Chairman should be removed from office on the basis of his personal views, warning against attempts to punish public officials for expressing opinions outside the scope of their official duties.
The Tide source reports that the Fellowship also cautioned against what it described as a growing tendency to interpret national issues through religious lenses, noting that such an approach only deepens divisions and undermines peaceful coexistence.
“We must resist the temptation of profiling or judging people based on their religious beliefs or positions. Prof. Amupitan has a right to bear his mind, and this should not be at the cost of his job,” the PFN added.
The PFN called on all stakeholders to exercise restraint, understanding and mutual respect in national discourse, particularly on sensitive issues.
It emphasised that unity and peace must remain paramount in addressing national challenges.
The Fellowship reaffirmed its commitment to fairness, justice and mutual respect, urging that these values guide public engagement and responses to issues affecting the country.
In A Statement Issued On Saturday, Mr Obiorah Ifoh, The Factional Spokesperson, Described The Decision Of The Electoral Body As Strange.
Mr Ifoh Also Said The Sacked Factional Leadership Of The Party Will Protest The Action Of INEC.
Stating That Judgment Of The Court And The Decision Of INEC Will Not Stop Its Members From Putting Up A Strong Appearance In The Forthcoming 2027 General Election, Mr Ifoh Noted Legal Redress Would Be Sought By LP.
He Said, “Some Persons Who Are Applauding The Impunity By Some Politicians Should Retrace And Do Some Introspection, Because This Was How In The Past They Applauded Injustice In Our Democracy Because They Were Beneficiaries.
“At The End Of The Day, When Their Enthroned Leaders Began To Abuse Power, They Started Complaining.
“For Us In Labour Party, Our Faith Is Strong That The Appellate Court Will Do The Right Thing And Therefore We Advise Our Members To Remain Calm. We Will Continue With The Struggle To Take Our Party From The Godfather,” Mr Ifoh Said.
He Also Stated That The Labour Party Is A Party Formed On The Basis Of Social Democracy Where No One Man Is Permitted To Appoint Everybody.
According To Him, It Is Against The Party’s Principles For “One Man To Sit At A Place And Gather Everybody And Appoint Everybody From The National Working Committee To The State.
“That Is Impunity Of The Highest Order. This, I Believe, Negates The Principles Of The Party.
“If We Say There Is No Party Ideology In Nigeria, This Is How It Starts. We Are Very Sure That It Will Be Quashed On Appeal,” He Added.
Mr Ifoh Also Described The Celebration And Excitement Showcased By Senator Nenadi Usman And The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti As Temporary.
He Said Dr Otti, Senator Usman And Their Cohorts’ Names Which Were Already Listed On INEC’s Portal Will Be Short-Lived.
“It Is For A Short Time. Their Victory Is Pyrrhic And There Is Nothing To Celebrate Because Doomsday Is Closer Than They Will Imagine; Which I Believe Will Be Very Catastrophic For Them.
“Moreover, It Is Very Clear That The Appointment Of The Caretaker Committee Did Not Go Through The Normal Procedure. Proper Notice Was Not Given In Line With The Party Constitution And The Electoral Act,” He Said.