A group of eminent Nigerians, The Patriots, has called on President Bola Tinubu to convene a national constituent assembly to produce a new draft constitution for the country.
Speaking through its Chairman, Emeka Anyaoku, the group said the National Constituent Assembly is to consist of individuals elected by the people on a non-party basis, three individuals per state and one from the Federal Capital Territory.
Anyaoku, who is a former Commonwealth Secretary-General, said “We put some proposals to Mr. President and we urged him to send a president’s executive bill to the National Assembly, a bill that will call for two essential measures”.
He stated, “One the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, to be mandated to produce a new draft constitution. We also suggested that such a National Constituent Assembly should consist of individuals elected by the people on a non-party basis.
“Say, for example, three individuals per state, per each of the 36 states and one from the Federal Capital Territory and they should be mandated to produce a new draft constitution. And we also suggested that in the bill, the National Assembly should be asked to legislate for a national referendum because as our laws stand at the moment, we have no provision for a national referendum.
“We concluded by saying that the Draft Constitution to emerge from the constituent assembly should be subjected to the national referendum to give the people of Nigeria a chance to determine the new constitution.”
“We also talked about the current crisis of protests throughout the country. And we advised the President that in our view, the government at the federal and state levels should dialogue with the leaders of the protests,” he said.
“The government should take the initiative in dialogue with the leaders of the protests. And secondly, we advised that law enforcement agencies, namely the police and the army, should avoid using lethal weapons in the management of the protests, so that we do not have casualties, or people killed because law and order enforcement agencies are managing the protests.”
