Northern Elders at the National Conference have warned of a looming
\nanarchy, political chaos and violence should President Goodluck Ebele
\nJonathan declare to contest for the 2015 Presidential elections.<\/p>\n
The Northern delegates at the conference accused the Justice Idris Kutigi
\nled Conference of pushing a third term agenda for President Jonathan and
\nother elected officials.
\nAddressing Journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum,
\nACF and former Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Coomasie said the
\ncurrent document which seeks to amend the constitution is aimed at a third
\nterm for the President and others<\/p>\n
The text read in full,<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are welcome, and we thank you for responding to our
\ninvitation.\u2028Our purpose for holding this press conference is to
\nbrief you, and through you the entire country, about the latest
\ndevelopments at this crucial stage of the 2014 National Conference. As
\ncitizens of Nigeria, we are greatly concerned about this development and
\nits wider implications to sustainable democracy, political stability,
\npeace, and development of our Country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first indication that there was going to be problem was on Monday
\n30th June, 2014, when a front page report in a national daily (Daily
\nTrust) alleged that a member of the leadership of the conference had been
\nlobbying members of the Northern Delegation to be able to smuggle in a
\n\u201cnew constitution\u201d at the conference. A delegate drew the attention of the
\nConference to the publication under MATTERS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE: the
\nintegrity of the Leadership of the Conference and it was demanded that the
\nLeadership should make a categorical statement on
\nthe issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Leadership claimed ignorance of the existence of any such document
\nand demanded to see a copy of it. This was immediately made available, and
\nafter going though it, the Conference Chairman made the following
\nstatement as reflected in the Conference Hansard of Monday 30th June,
\n2014, on page 14:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know nothing about the paper in circulation. We know nothing of the
\nconsideration of any Committee, we formed no Committee apart from the
\nstanding Committee we set up \u2026We are not aware of that\u2026We have nothing to
\ndo with it. That matter should be closed!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOrdinarily, the matter of a \u201cnew constitution\u201d should have died a natural
\ndeath. But that was not to be. The issue was brought over and over again
\nin the course of plenary sessions, but each time it was overwhelmingly
\nrejected by the delegates. And when attempts were made to bring in the
\nissue of \u201creferendum\u201d, as a means of actualising the outcome of the
\nconference, it was always strongly and painstakingly explained that the
\noperating Constitution does not have any provision for such a referendum.
\nThe only instance when a referendum can be held is in relation to the
\ncreation of new states or boundry adjustment, per the provision of Section
\n8 of the CFRN 1999 (as amended).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are aware, by now, of the surprise, shock and disappointment with
\nwhich not only delegates to the conference, but many patriotic Nigerians,
\nhave reacted to news of the sudden appearance of a \u201cNew Draft Constitution
\n2014\u201d, among other documents distributed to delegates, when we resumed at
\nplenary, last Monday, August, 11, 2014.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, Northern Delegates to the Conference wish to assure patriotic
\nNigerians, and all lovers of democracy, that we are neither privy to, nor
\nwere we accessory to the emergence of the controversial \u201cNew Draft
\nConstitution 2014\u201d. We, therefore, unequivocally disown it, and
\nemphatically disassociate ourselves from it. Accordingly, we will have
\nnothing to do with it, for the following legal, moral and political
\nreasons:<\/p>\n
\u201c(i) Delegates to the conference were not elected, and therefore lack both
\nlegal, and moral authority to draft a new constitution for the Nigerian
\nFederation. Rather, we were constituted to serve as an ad hoc advisory
\nmechanism for to The President, as representatives of broad interests
\nacross the federation, and cannot, therefore, legally arrogate ourselves
\nthe far-reaching function of making a \u201cnew\u201d constitution for the Federal
\nRepublic of Nigeria. That can only be done by an appropriately constituted
\nConstituent Assembly.<\/p>\n
(ii) The Secretariat of the Conference has indicated in chapter 7
\nof the draft Report Vol. 1 that the so called \u2018new Constitution\u2019 is to be
\nbrought into effect through a national referendum to be specifically held
\nfor the purpose. To this we say, without any fear of contradiction, that
\nthere is no legal provision in our Constitution for the holding of such a
\nreferendum. The reference to a referendum, made by the President of the
\nFederal Republic of Nigeria in his inauguration address at the National
\nConference on 17th March 2014, was purely speculative, as it was
\npredicated on the National Assembly introducing a provision in the
\nConstitution that will permit the holding of referendum \u201c\u2026 if at the end
\nof the deliberation the need for a referendum arises\u201d. We want to say,
\nwith authority, that such a proposal has since been turned down by the
\nNational Assembly. Inquiries at both the Senate and House of
\nRepresentatives have since shown that efforts at tabling the case for
\nreferendum, through private member-bills, were rejected twice, and cannot,
\ntherefore, be reintroduced in the life of the present Senate.<\/p>\n
(iii) From the foregoing, it is now abundantly clear that the conference
\nhas been infiltrated by fifth-columnists whose goal is to subvert
\ndemocratic processes and plunge the country into deeper, but avoidable
\npolitical crisis.<\/p>\n
(iv) To all intent and purposes, the introduction of a \u201cnew Constitution
\n2014\u201d for Nigeria, is a calculated attempt by some people to take
\nadvantage of Court of Appeal\u2019s ruling in 2003, as delivered by Justice
\nGeorge Adesola Oguntade, (JCA as he then was) in the celebrated case of
\nAttorney-General of the Federation Vs. ANPP, and Others (A.G, Fed. v.
\nA.N.P.P. [2003] 15 NWLR (Pt. 844). Wherein Governor Abubakar Abdu of Kogi
\nState (then) was challenged over his eligibility to run for a second term
\nin 2003, having had a first term which ended in May 2003. The contention
\nwas that having been elected Kogi State Governor in 1991, his tenure 1991
\n\u2013 1993 should be regarded as a first term and the tenure 1999 \u2013 2003
\nshould have been regarded as second term. Accordingly, he should stand
\nbarred from contesting for another term in the 2003 election, as that
\nwould amount to a violation of the subsisting Constitution, which has
\nprovided that a person could only be elected into the office of a State
\nGovernor for two terms and no more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that decision, the Court of Appeal upheld the eligibility of Governor
\nAbubakar Audu of Kogi State, to stand for re-election as Governor, on the
\nground that his first tenure (1991-\u201993) was under a completely different
\nConstitution (CFRN 1989), while the country was at the material time
\noperating the 1999 Constitution, which was a new Constitution.<\/p>\n
\u201c(v) Given the observation under (iv) above, adopting a new Constitution
\nis therefore calculated to enable incumbent elective office holders who
\nare statute-barred from going for 3rd Term at both Federal and State
\nlevels, to run for offices again under the guise of running under a new
\nConstitution. This will also have the consequential effect of depriving
\naspiring politicians from all political parties, as well as all Nigerians,
\nof their rights to choices and preferences as enshrined in the
\nconstitution.<\/p>\n
(vi) If not arrested, the 3rd Term agenda, as in the past (2005), is
\ncapable of plunging Nigeria into another circle of political chaos with
\npotential of violence and anarchy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe, as pan-Nigerians and democrats reject this agenda, in its entirety
\nand call on stakeholders of all persuasions and institutions especially
\npolitical parties, national and state houses of assembly, the media, Civil
\nSociety Organizations, faith based organisation women, youths, etc., to
\nreject same, and continue to champion and uphold democratic principles, as
\nenshrined in the constitution and other legitimate sources of law-making .<\/p>\n
Thank you, and God bless.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Northern Elders at the National Conference have warned of a looming anarchy, political chaos and violence should President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan declare to contest for the 2015 Presidential elections. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n