Confab ends with deal on constitution…document now ‘amendments to 1999 Constitution’

Yesterday’s session was calm and brief, contrary to expectations of a stormy session over the ‘Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2014’ that was produced by the conference secretariat.Northern delegates had said if the document was approved as a new constitution, it would have conferred legal cover for politicians to contest elections that they […]

Yesterday’s session was calm and brief, contrary to expectations of a stormy session over the ‘Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2014’ that was produced by the conference secretariat.
Northern delegates had said if the document was approved as a new constitution, it would have conferred legal cover for politicians to contest elections that they are ineligible for under the existing 1999 Constitution.
At a charged meeting with zonal delegation leaders on Wednesday, chairman Justice Idris Kutigi had dug his heels on the new constitution, saying he was mandated by President Goodluck Jonathan to come up with it from the confab.
Series of other meetings were held later in the night to try to strike deals that could prevent the confab from ending in disarray.
When the plenary session reconvened yesterday, it was agreed that the controversial document should be renamed as ‘Draft Proposals to Amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.’
Apart from having a quarrel with the initial title of ‘Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2014’, the Northern delegates had also argued that the conference secretariat was never asked to come up with a draft constitution.
Two motions were adopted at the plenary yesterday, one renaming the controversial document and the other giving the conference secretariat the authority to draft a final report that would be submitted to President Jonathan next Thursday.
The secretariat is expected to incorporate several new amendments suggested by delegates into the earlier distributed draft report. None of those new amendments were subjected to any debate or vote yesterday, and the final report is not going to be tabled for further consideration or approval by the plenary.
Kutigi announced at the plenary that the final report would be ready by today. It is expected to be signed by the conference chairman, his deputy Prof Bolaji Akinyemi and the secretary, Mrs Valerie Azinge, in line with Order 13, Rule 2 of the Conference Procedure Rules.
The chairman said on Thursday next week, the report would be presented to President Jonathan at the National Judicial Institute complex, Abuja, venue of the conference.
‘Everybody is happy’
The conference’s valedictory plenary session started yesterday around 10.45 am, with a “motion to mandate the secretariat to vet and effect amendment” to the three reports prepared by the secretariat.
The motion was jointly sponsored by Chief Jerry Okwuonu and former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili.
But the motion was slightly amended by another motion moved by Adamu Maina Waziri, who demanded a change in the title of Volume 3, which is the controversial new constitution.
“We urged the leadership of the Conference, in collating the final report, to more appropriately designate Volume 3 as: Draft Proposals to Amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,” Waziri said.
Kutigi put the two motions separately to voice vote and they were unanimously adopted by the delegates. Thereafter, all the delegates stood up and sang the old National Anthem “Nigeria We Hail Thee.”
The conference, which was inaugurated on March 17, was scheduled to last for three months but it ended up taking five.
Speaking to journalists after the plenary, the co-chairman of the Northern delegation, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, said his group had submitted corrections to the conference secretariat to be reflected in the final report.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Chief Mike Ahamba said the amicable resolution of the constitution dispute was a sign that God loves Nigeria.
“You can now see that the controversy was resolved amicably by the renaming of the document. We are not here to draft a new constitution. Our current constitution is OK. We can amend it but not throw it away just like that,” he said.
Chief Edwin Clark, leader of the South-South delegation, said: “The peaceful conclusion of this conference clearly indicated that Nigerians love one another and they can still live together as country. Despite our differences, we sat for four months and tackled our problems and we came out stronger. It is a triumph of democracy.”
He said if the conference resolutions are implemented “Nigeria will be among the greatest countries in the world.”
On his part, the leader of the South East delegation, Chief Ike Nwachukwu, told Daily Trust: “Every region in the country is happy with the conference outcome.”
Chief Richard Akinjide said as someone who had participated in similar conferences since before Nigeria’s Independence, the peaceful ending of this confab made him proud.
“I am proud that despite the tension, the delegates and the conference leadership had exhibited high level of maturity in addressing the issues affecting Nigeria. It is a big step forward,” he told Daily Trust.
On his part, Dr Iyorchia Ayu said the conference has ended well with the North coming out stronger. “The North presented a pan-Nigerian agenda and we succeeded in actualising it,” he said.
Chief Femi Okurounmu said the “outcome of the conference is good. We have achieved 98 percent. We hope that if implemented, the decisions will go a long way in addressing the problems of this country.”
Also speaking, Chief Aditie Okun said, “The conclusions reached by the conference are fundamental despite the sectional challenges. It is a triumph of the people. We have done well, and our country will be better off if our report is implemented.”