Nigeria needs referendum, not unitary military constitution amendment – ECA

Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) has said what Nigeria needs is a referendum and not an amendment of what it described as unitary military constitution of 1999.

It lambasted the Federal Government for ignoring the multitude of problems facing the country, including the mistrust and suspicion that has sadly raised regional, ethnic and religious fault-lines to frightening levels, only to engage in another piece-meal constitution amendment, which it said “will not, in all sincerity, serve any useful purpose whatsoever.”

ECA Secretary, Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, said in a statement yesterday, that the proposed amendment was a “conduit pipe to siphon scarce national resources” even as it said amending the constitution “will not, in all sincerity, serve any useful purpose whatsoever.”

He recalled that the amendment conducted by the eighth National Assembly by a joint constitution amendment committee co-chaired by then deputy Senate president, Ike Ekwremadu and former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has not been promulgated, thus there was no need for a fresh exercise. He said rather than amend the 1999 constitution a new peoples constitution should be drafted.

“The confidence of the people needs to be restored in our constitution, only when the people feel part of the making of the constitution. Lovers of Nigeria believe that only a people’s constitution affirmed at a referendum can and will move Nigeria forward. The military crafted, superintended and supervised the 1999 unitary document, that has proven deficient and faulty through practice.”

ECA backed Northern Elders Forum (NEF) in opposing any amendment to the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We agree with the Northern Elders Forum that a gathering of committed patriots is needed at this time to begin the needful process of drawing up and designing a new people’s constitution that will replace the unitary military constitution of 1999. Such a people’s constituent assembly is actually long overdue.”

It urged the Federal Government to focus on the foundational problems threatening Nigeria by convoking a conference where the component parts will air their. grievances and fashion how to co-exist.

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