Posted on Feb 07, 2020

• Oyebode, others fault lawmakers’ power to carry out task

• ‘It is another opportunity to restructure nation’

• YCE, Ohanaeze seek return to confab report

Discordant reactions yesterday trailed the move by the Senate to review the nation’s constitution.The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, constituted a 56-member panel made up of seven principal officers as a steering committee for the constitution review, with one senator each from the 36 states and two each representing the six geopolitical zones.

He named his deputy, Ovie Omo-Agege as the chairman of the steering committee. The seven principal officers are the Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya; Robbert Borriffice; Sabi Abdullahi; Senate Minority Leader, Enyinaya Abaribe; Emmanuel Bwacha; Philip Aduda; and Sabi Yau.

But the only Young Progressive Party (YPP) Senator Ifeanyi Uba raised an objection to the effect that his party was not taken into account even when it is the third in the Senate after the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “We have three political parties in the Senate, APC, PDP and YPP. There was no mention of my political party in the constitutional review committee and I feel it may be an oversight. You should consider my party because we are here on our own, I am here for my party caucus just like every other senator.”

But Lawan said: “Because you have come under order 43, this is for our information. The membership is not strictly based on political parties. At the beginning, I said each state would be represented by a senator each and then each geopolitical zone would have zonal representation. So it is not based on political parties but your point of order is well taken.”

Reacting to the development yesterday, a professor of International Law and Jurisprudence in the University of Lagos, Akin Oyebode said the Nigerian constitution or “Decree 24 of 1999” could be likened to a car whose body had undergone so many panel beatings. “Not only is it not autochthonous, it does not answer the needs of the age and so should be replaced by a more authentic and worthwhile fundamental law. However, it is neither the place nor function of the National Assembly, being a parliament set up to enact legislation for the peace, order and good government. The rightful body to discharge the duty of fashioning a new fundamental law is a duly convened constituent assembly, otherwise, it would amount to the tail wagging the dog,” he declared.

The Lower Niger Congress (LNC), said it was an exercise in futility, a journey to nowhere and an affront to the constituent components of Nigeria.In a statement endorsed by its Secretary General, Mr. Tony Nnadi, the group said that “the legislative mandate/power of the National Assembly does not include constitution-making, which requires constituent powers that are vested exclusively in the people as an incident of their sovereignty.”