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President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio on Friday, said that the 10th National Assembly will produce a constitution that will take into cognizance the collective aspirations of Nigerians, shape, unite, and accelerate the development of the country.

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Senator Akpabio gave the assurance while delivering his remarks at the beginning of a 2-Day retreat of the House of Representatives committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, organized by Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC) and United Kingdom International Development in Ikot Expene, Akwa Ibom State.

The Senate President urged the federal lawmakers to be thorough in the ongoing review of the constitution, stressing that every bill and proposal must receive the needed consideration.

The assurance came on a day the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman, Committee on Constitutional Review, Hon. Benjamin Kalu revealed that a total of 305 proposals from Nigerians and 112 bills on various national issues are before the Committee of the House for consideration in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.

This is as the 36 Speakers of State Houses of Assembly and the government of Akwa Ibom State respectively declared their support for the establishment of state police, resource control, decentralization of power amongst other national issues.

Applauding the work of the House committee, Akpabio said that time has come for Nigerians to take their destiny into their hands.

He said: “I believe that at the end of the day, the Senate and the House of Representatives will create a blueprint that guides us towards a more united and prosperous Nigeria. This journey has just begun in this retreat. So, ladies and gentlemen, the challenges before us are significant, but so are the opportunities.

“This opportunity is to ensure that the bills, all bills we consider and comprehend are fair, reflective of the aspiration of the Nigerian people.
We must take into account the diverse perspectives and experiences that make up our great nation. By doing so, we lay a solid foundation for a constitution that truly represents the hope and dreams of every single Nigerian alive.

“Distinguished brothers and sisters, now is the time for us to take our destiny in our hands. Change will not occur if we passively wait for someone else for another institution or for a different time to undertake this venture with all the power to bring about a change ourselves and change the purpose, and trajectory of our new country. We are the ones our country has been waiting for. We are the embodiment of the change our country needs.

“Let us rise to this duty and answer our country’s call, particularly at a time when we have a vice president as a legislator a president as a legislator, and even the wife of the president as a legislator. This is the right time for us to shape the future of our country through legislation”.

In his address, the deputy speaker, Hon. Kalu highlighted the areas of top priority in the review process.

The areas, he said included local govt autonomy, judiciary, electoral matters, state police, gender, human rights issues, and others.

Hon. Kalu said that the thematic areas have been shared amongst the experts to handle.

Recall that the committee has held a series of public engagements from its pre-inaugural meeting to the unveiling of sub-committees on work development; the inauguration of the Committee; the call for memoranda; appointment and inauguration of Consultants; retreat of the secretariat and consultants of the House; a joint committee secretariat and consultants of both the Senate and the House, incidentally setting a timeline to achieve the first set of amendment by December 2025.

Giving the details of the thematic areas, Kalu said that the consultants are expected to dig deep into the thematic areas.

According to him, local government matters are given to Professor Nuhu M. Jamo, the judiciary assigned to Barrister Mike Osuman; electoral matters to Hon. Samson Osagie; State Policing given to Dr. Usman Ibrahim to handle; gender issues given to Professor Anthonia Simbine; human right issues given to Chief Chris Uche while other special matters are assigned to Professor Yusuf Yusuf to handle.

The Deputy Speaker further explained that the amendment of the Constitution is imperative to conform to the wishes of Nigerians and to also meet up with the present economic realities.

He said: “In keeping faith with the timeline it set for itself to achieve the first set of amendments by December 2025, the Committee has undertaken the following activities: pre-inaugural meeting; sub-committees on work plan development; inauguration of the Committee; call for memoranda
appointment and inauguration of Consultants; retreat of the Secretariat and Consultants of the House
joint Committee Secretariat and Consultants of both the Senate and the House

“Today, the Committee will now be presented with the outcome of the review of the bills and memos received.

“Furthermore, the Constitutional amendments are instrumental in achieving better economic outcomes by modernizing legal frameworks, enhancing institutional capacity, better enhancing Nigeria’s economic potentials, addressing emerging economic challenges, and facilitating inclusive development.

“Constitutional amendments have become imperative for a couple of reasons including the need to adapt to changing economic realities; to strengthen property rights and the rule of law; to promote economic freedom and fear competition; to foster fiscal responsibilities and budgetary discipline; to enhance governance and accountability; to empower subnational government and; to facilitate for structural reforms.”

According to him, the Committee’s consultations will extend to the Judiciary, election stakeholders, women groups, traditional rulers, and civil society organizations among others.

He said: “Presently we have received 305 proposals from Nigerians and 112 bills sponsored by Members are at various stages of consideration in the House. These memos have been analysed by the Committee Consultants and a report will be presented to the Members during these deliberations.

“We will also engage the citizens from across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones and will cap our consultations with a National Public hearing in Abuja before the end of 2024.

In his remarks, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom state, represented by his Deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi expressed support for the establishment of state police, asking the committee to also consider devolution of powers amongst others.

“The issue of devolution of powers from the center to sub-nationals to make Nigeria a proper federation has been a recurrent decimal since the promulgation of decree 34 of 1966 by the military, which sets the nation on the path of unitary federalism.

“The result was an overburdened center and over-dependent federating units, thus making it impossible for sub-nationals to look inwards for development in a manner peculiar to their natural endowment and circumstances.

“Thankfully, recent efforts at constitutional amendments have removed some of these bottlenecks.
However, a lot remains to be done, especially in the areas of security and revenue allocation.

“At this point in our history, vis-a-vis the seemingly intractable security problems across the nation, I doubt if we can still debate the necessity or otherwise of state police. Experience has shown that a centralized security architecture cannot effectively tackle localized crimes.

“The creation of state police does not mean the abolition of federal police. Presently, the synergy between the state minister of internal Security and Waterways and security agencies is yielding enormous benefits in the state.

“This particular issue of national importance is, to my mind, a labor test for your committee in particular and the 10th assembly as a whole on revenue allocation. It is an incontrovertible fact that all Nigerians live in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The responsibilities of states are huge and they definitely need more money to meet their obligations.

“More so, in the spirit of federalism, the constitution should make provisions for states to benefit more from natural resources obtained within their territories. I believe a constitution which truly exposes the principles of federalism will help to de-escalate tension in the country, resolve some of our most serious challenges, and bear a prosperous nation,” he said.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria and Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin said that the conference is more interested in state police, local government autonomy, resource control and revenue allocation, devolution of powers to the states amongst others.

He said: “There are fundamental National issues that must be reviewed and considered for constitutional amendments, issues such as state police, local government autonomy, resource control, and revenue allocation, centralisation of powers in the center or devolution of powers to state amongst other pressing matters.

“I strongly believe the leadership of the National Assembly and Speakers at the States Assembly will collaborate to ensure the passage of some of these critical issues in the ongoing Sixth Alteration of the Nigeria Constitution especially when critical issues such as security are considered. Let me say for the record that the conference of speakers of state legislators strongly supports the establishment of State Police and other amendments that promote Federalism.

“As Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, in this task of Constitutional review process, I want to believe my roles will be multi-dimensional in engaging my colleagues at State levels, the leadership of National Assembly, Governors’ forum, and other critical stakeholders in stimulating discussions on some of the identified grey areas moving forward as a Nation,” he said.

 

Politics

Atiku’s exit end of PDP era – Support group

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A support group, Nigerian Youths for Atiku (NYFA), says the exit of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, marks the end of an era in the country.

NYFA’s Director General, Mr Dare Dada, who made this remark in a statement on Thursday in Lagos, said that Atiku’s decision to quit PDP had battered the political and electoral fortunes of the former ruling party.

Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023, announced his resignation from the party on Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences within the erstwhile ruling party.

Though the former vice-president has not formally announced his defection to African Democratic Congress (ADC), the coalition of opposition leaders, led by him, had recently announced the adoption of the party as its platform for the 2027 general elections.

His resignation from PDP might have signaled readiness to solidify ties with ADC, as the NYFA leadership had also recently directed its members nationwide to collapse structures and register with ADC in various states.

Reacting to the development, Dada said that the resignation of Abubakar and other PDP national leaders and members from the party, and their alliance with ADC marked the end of an era for the former ruling party.

According to him, Abubakar has large core followers in the northern and southern political circle, including the youth, women and professional groups.

The director-general, who noted that the former vice-president had, for a long time, remained the backbone of support in PDP, said that his exit had decimated and crippled the party.

In view of the developing political events in the country, Dada said that the group had instructed its more than 1.5 million members across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT to resign from PDP immediately.

“Membership of Nigerian Youth For Atiku cuts across all parties, including PDP, NNPP and LP.

“We also have within our ranks non-partisan members whose professions spread across all sectors of the economy. They have all been enjoined to register as members of ADC.

“As a movement with revolutionary yoga, we have always stood for good governance, accountability and support for sound democratic values.

“These attributes cannot be underestimated in any democratic society that tends prioritise transparency and economic prosperity,” he said.

According to him, the resignation of the group’s President and Founder, Prof. Gold Emmanuel, and others from PDP was a decision taken in the overall interest of the country.

“Preventing Nigeria from sliding into one-party state and civilian dictatorship requires the efforts and commitment of all Nigerians who have undiluted belief in a better Nigeria,” he stated.

Dada urged Nigerians to remain united in the fight against hunger, poverty and insecurity.

“We remain resolute in our decision to galvanise over three million votes in support of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential elections,” he said.

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“ADC Not for Sale”: Imo ADC’s Chilos Godsent Calls for Unity and People’s Interest Over Self-Serving Groups

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Imo State has issued a clarifying statement regarding its structure and leadership, emphasizing that the party’s recognized executives and ward structures are legitimate and acknowledged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The IMO ADC asserts that its executives and structures are recognized by INEC, and merger groups or coalitions cannot assume ownership of the party.

The party urges its members to focus on addressing the challenges that have plagued the nation, rather than pursuing self-interest or group superiority.
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The ADC calls on its members to work together to bring about positive change, emphasizing the need for policies that promote production and development, rather than consumption.
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The party’s leadership encourages members to “shake hands” and work towards a common goal, as symbolized by the party’s logo.

This statement  is a call to action for its members to prioritize the interests of the people and work towards creating a better future for all Nigerians.

Emphasizing  the importance of unity and people’s interests, the party aims to promote a more inclusive and effective approach to governance.

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2027: Tinubu’s second-term ambition misplaced priority – Ex-Lagos Dep Gov

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A former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kofo Bucknor-Akerele, has described as a misplaced priority President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Bucknor-Akerele deputised ex-Lagos governor Tinubu from May 1999 to December 2002, though Tinubu was in office till May 2007.

The octogenarian was on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Thursday.

Bucknor-Akerele, a member of The Patriots, led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, said the Tinubu presidency must rejig the nation’s socio-economic apparatus as a matter of urgency.

She said seeking a second term in office should not be Tinubu’s focus at the moment, but getting the country to work.

Bucknor-Akerele said, “Unfortunately, right now, what I see is that the president is looking for a second term, and that seems to be his focus. But I think he should try and look at what people like Emeka Anyaoku and so many others of that calibre sat down and they are trying to fashion something that is going to change Nigeria for the future generations.

“I hope that his advisers would be able to tell him that 2027 is not our priority right now; our priority right now is fashioning something that will be able to make Nigeria great again.”

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