Constitution amendment: North, South clash imminent

Posted by admin Constitution, Latest Politics Friday, May 11th, 2012

nd David Attah, Kaduna 2 Comments

Senate President, David Mark and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal
| credits: File copy

As the National Assembly prepares for the amendment to the 1999 Constitution, a clash is imminent between the North and the South over the nature of the country’s federalism.

While the northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, is advocating a strong centre to keep the country united, the South-South, South-West and South-East want devolution of powers by the Federal Government to the regions.

Most of the six geopolitical zones, however, agree on other issues such as zoning and indigeneship, which have been listed by the NASS for amendment.

North

The ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, in an interview with our correspondent in Kaduna, said the group would soon meet and come up with a position on the proposed amendments.

Sani, however, said the North would not support a confederation arrangement under any guise. According to him, the North will push for a strong centre.

He stated, “Yes, ACF will meet and forward its position on some of these issues to the National Assembly. Since we are yet to meet, it will be inappropriate for me to give you any position.

“However, I must say that any constitution amendment must be such that makes the Federal Government strong enough to keep the country united under one roof, but not too strong to push it towards a unitary system.

“A confederation, which comes with a weak centre, is a recipe for dismemberment.”

He said the ACF would insist on its rejection of Sovereign National Conference. According to him, the call for SNG is capable of dividing the country.

On indigeneship, Sani said that the ACF stood by its earlier position that any Nigerian born in any part of the country should automatically claim the state.

The ACF spokesman added, “In our last recommendations on indigeneship, we said all Nigerians born in a place should be indigenes of such a place since they had no choice over where they were born.”

Sani said that the ACF and northern leaders were favourably disposed to discussions that were capable of strengthening the unity of the country in diversity.

“But when it comes to doing so through a Sovereign National Conference, it is a different matter in the sense that it will amount to passing a vote of no confidence on our democracy and its institutions; and no group has the right to do that with a government in place.”

Also, the National President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, Dr. Ephraim Goje, urged the NASS to do everything possible to remove the immunity clause from the constitution.

He said, “I’ve said that in the preposed constitution, we should state clearly the punishment for every crime committed in this country. Why are they shying away from this?”

Section 308 of the constitution protects the President, Vice-President, governors and deputy governors from arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, civil and criminal proceedings during their tenure.

South-South

But the Ijaw National Congress, a major group in the South-South, called for a true federalism with each region having control over its resources, operating its constitution and making the requisite contributions to the centre.

The National Secretary of the IJC, Mr. Robertson Esitei, said, “We’re suggesting 10 regions instead of the six we have today. We should make Nigeria a regional government on the basis of true federalism.

“Nigeria should revert to regionalism. The regions should have control of their resources and pay appropriate taxes to the FG. The regions will also have their constitutions.

On the immunity clause, Esitei said it should be retained until democracy became developed to a level of maturity where opposition would not take advantage of the removal of the clause to distract the governors.

He called for the strengthening of the judiciary and relevant agencies to conduct far-reaching investigations that could lead to the prosecution of errant officers enjoying protection of the clause after their tenure in office.

He said, “The immunity clause should stay until democracy has reached a point where Nigerians have become honest so that a governor would not be unduly intimidated by forces in the opposition that might want to see him out of office.”

Also, the National President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Abiye Kuromiema, said the country should return to the era of regionalism.

He said Nigeria needed a more balanced federation, where the units would pay taxes to the centre and control their resources.

Although he said that Nigeria must remain as a country, he argued that “only true federalism would correct the issues tearing the country apart.”

“The minority people of the Middle Belt and others who are historically contiguous should be brought together,” he said. “There is a need to correct the historic imbalances. There is a need to have a more balanced federation.”

On zoning, he said Nigerians should look for the best people to occupy political offices in the country.

“I really think that what we need is the best. People are talking about zoning because everybody is focusing on power because of resources. Zoning is not going to give the country the best.

“I can’t take a strong position on the issue of rotation and zoning given the sentiments and pains of Nigerians about governance.”

The IYC leader, however, faulted the call for the removal of the immunity clause, Saying it could cause a serious political instability and distraction in the country.

He demanded the strengthening of the accountability laws and the security agencies to ensure investigation of public officers, who enjoy the immunity clause while in office.

Kuromiema said, “Naturally, people would say that the immunity clause should stay, but politicians have abused it with impunity.

“However, there would be distraction, through unnecessary litigation. I’d like to look for a compromise. Most Nigerians would say immunity clause should go, but we must think of the implications.”

South-East

Commenting on the proposed constitution amendment, the Igbo Youth Movement’s leader, Mr. Elliot Uko, called for a loose federation.

He advised the committee on constitution amendment to dust the Aburi Accord reached by the federal and regional governments in 1967 and entrench it in the constitution.

He said, “Federal power is still attractive because the unitary structure gives the Presidency too much power. Those sections of the country that enjoyed it for decades are now feeling like fish out of water because Goodluck Jonathan is President. They want power back at all cost. It’s a horrific cycle.

“Only a loose federation arrangement will restore sanity. Nigeria is being held together by the endurance and tolerance exhibited by the Igbo at these very trying times.

“A national conference is inevitable. Nigeria must be restructured along six federating regions.”

Also, the chairman of the Anambra State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Philip Atamuo, supported the proposed constitution amendment.

According to him, efforts must be made to ensure that Nigerians are protected and their rights guaranteed wherever they live.

He said, “If we’re truly speaking of one Nigeria, then all Nigerians should have the right to live where they want, work where they want and worship where they want. You cannot pretend to have a one Nigeria when you restrict some Nigerians from going to some other parts of the country or worshipping as they wish or talking as they wish,” Atamuo said.

South-West

A Yoruba sociopolitical group, the Afenifere, said it had concluded arrangements to submit a memorandum to the NASS on the proposed constitution review.

Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the Afenifere leader, stated this in Akure. He said in the memorandum, the group would seek the recognition of six zones as regions.

“Each region should be accorded the recognition it deserves, while conscious efforts should be made to tap into the natural and mineral resources available in each zone for the purpose of developing the areas,” he said.

“Nigeria should practise true federalism. Each region should be allowed to control the resources at their disposal for them to develop at their own pace. When this is done, there would be simultaneous development in all the geo-political zones.”

On immunity clause, Fasoranti said Afenifere believes that the immunity clause should be removed from the constitution.

“The current immunity clause as it is in the constitution gives room for abuse of law on the part of the affected officials. It is a licence for them to engage in gross abuse of the law,” he stated.

According to him, the zoning system, whereby power is being rotated between the South and the North, is necessary to allow every Nigerian to have a sense of participation in the politics of the land.

The Afenifere leader backed the law which allows a person to become the indigene of an area he has lived for a number of years.

On mayoral status for Abuja, he said, “Anybody in the country should be free to be the mayor of Abuja regardless of the fact that he or she is from the northern part of the country or not.”

Fasoranti insisted that the convocation of an SNG was crucial to the continued existence of Nigeria.

He, however, said that the advocates of the SNC had scored a good political point with the acceptance of the Senate to discuss the issue.

“The SNC is not an issue we can run away from. If the senators have agreed to discuss it, then we are making progress because we have to discuss the modalities that would guarantee our peaceful co-existence as a nation,” he stated.

CPC and CD

One of the leading opposition parties in the country, the Congress for Progressive Change, backed the proposed constitution amendment.

The CPC called for the removal of the immunity clause from the constitution.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fasakin, stated this in an interview with one of correspondents.

He said Nigerians should be left to decide on zoning through a referendum.

Fashakin said, “It is the position of the CPC that the immunity clause is not needed in our constitution. This is the cause of the entrenched corruption and arbitrariness in the nation’s political space.

“If there is a referendum and it is the desire of the Nigerian people that the Presidency be rotated according to some agreed arrangements, so be it. After all, the Swiss presidency rotates among the French, Italians and Germans.”

The President of the Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, noted that the country had not been able to prosecute former governors, who had lost their immunity.

She wondered how those who still enjoyed their immunity would be prosecuted.

-Punchwp_posts

Short URL: https://newnigerianpolitics.com/?p=20902

Posted by admin on May 11 2012. Filed under Constitution, Latest Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry