President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that he will consider reviewing the 1999 Constitution after consolidating ongoing economic reforms for Nigeria’s prosperity.
Tinubu made this statement when he received The Patriots, a group of eminent Nigerians, at the State House in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President, on August 9, 2024.
Request for Constitution Review, Referendum
The call by The Patriots, led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, is one of the latest advocacies for Constitution review.
The group included representatives from various geopolitical zones and the legal profession, such as Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Mike Ozekhome (SAN).
According to the statement, Chief Anyaoku urged the president to fix the Constitution, saying it would genuinely solve Nigeria’s problems as a nation.
He was quoted as saying:
“The convening of a national constituent assembly with the mandate to produce a draft people’s democratic constitution. The constituent assembly should be of directly elected individuals, on a non-political basis, from the 36 states of the federation, possibly three individuals per state, and one from the FCT.
”They should be assisted by seven constitutional lawyers, one drawn from each of the six geo-political zones and the FCT. The deliberations of the constituent assembly should take into full account the 1960/63 constitutions, as well as the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference and indeed of the various national conferences that considered the Nigerian constitutions.”
”The draft constitution, produced by the constituent assembly, should be put to a national referendum and, if approved, should then be signed by the President as the genuine Nigerian people’s constitution.”
What Tinubu is Saying:
Responding to the requests, the President said The Patriots are not a group he can ignore because they reflect the heart and aspirations of society.
He explained that while certain challenges are required for good governance, the economic and policy decisions he has been making are needed to “manage the twists and turns” of democratic governance.
He assured that the path to a referendum and Constitution review will be considered when his economic reforms start producing the desired results.
He said:
”I believe in the unity of this country, and I want to assure you that whatever is necessary to put happiness and good governance in the hands of all Nigerians is what I would do.
”The avoidance of chaos is necessary to build this country and move its aspirations forward for the benefit of all of us.
”I am currently preoccupied with economic reform. That is my first priority. Once this is in place, as soon as possible, I will look at other options, including constitutional review as recommended by you and other options.”
What You Should Know
- The 1999 Constitution is the grand norm as long as the interpretation and application of laws are considered in Nigeria.
- In the rule of law, any legislation or regulation that runs contrary to the wording of the 1999 Constitution is usually struck down by the courts.
- Meanwhile, there has been a sustained widespread call in several quarters for the review of the Constitution on the grounds that it was allegedly framed by military generals without considering the will of the Nigerian people.
