Varied reactions have continued to trail demand for a new Constitution by a coalition of eminent Nigerians, The Patriots.
The group of prominent Nigerians, led by former Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku at a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last Friday requested for the establishment of a national constituent assembly with the mandate to draft a new constitution.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in a telephone interview chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, ( APGA) Chief Chekwas Okorie said embarking on a drafting of a new Constitution would take a toll on the nation’s purse. He suggested that President Tinubu should ask for report of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference which he noted contained far reaching recommendations and ensure its implementation.
He said:” Well, it is commendable that eminent Nigerians cutting across all sections of the country are pressing for a Constituent Assembly to produce a new Constitution which the President is expected to accept and present Executive Bill to incorporate a referendum.
” It is a good thing, but considering the situation we are now, the economic downturn demands that we focus on projects that will take us out of the woods.
” I will suggest a small Committee, not the large gathering to review the 2014 Conference Report. That Committee will only review that report. That will save us a lot of money. The 2014 Conference cost us N7Billion under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
” What The Patriots are proposing will only keep Nigerians busy. In terms of cost and reality of our present situation,we don’t need that large number .”
In his reaction, National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party and immediate past National Chairman of the Inter party Advisory Council, Engineer Yagbagi Sani, dismissed the proposal of a new Constitution as dead on arrival.
He told the Nigerian Tribune that there was nothing wrong with the present 1999 Constitution but the operators.
He said:” It is dead on arrival, because you know that there is a National Assembly where these things can be discussed. If the present Constitution isn’t working, how do we make it work? Why is the presidential system working in other places?
” It isn’t about the Constitution but the people. What happened to the 2014 National Conference? I think they just want to divert our attention. All we need to do is to make the system work. That’s my take . I don’t have confidence in any national conference. There is no Constitution anywhere in the world that works perfectly. Amendments are already taking place. We don’t need to waste taxpayers money.”
