By Agboola Bayo
Ibadan
The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) yesterday warned that the report of the recently concluded constitutional conference must not be tainted by political ambition.
Afenifere gave the warning in a statement in Ibadan by its Media/Publicity Secretary, Mr Kunle Famoriyo, on a media interview purportedly credited to Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state that “any constitution other than the 1999 constitution should be rejected because anything less than that is an instrument by those who think it will help them.”
The social cultural group pointed out that rather than attempting to taint the confab report with political ambition, the nation’s political class should allow Nigerians to determine what happens to the reports through referendum.
According to Afenifere renewal group, “neither Gov Kwankwaso, nor any Nigerian politician, need be at the whipping end of the constitution before patriotic sense prevails on all of us to fight to entrench true federalism in Nigeria,” saying,it was glaring that “for Nigeria to survive, it must provide an equitable basis of existence for all federating units.”
“Nigerians are not made for the law. Neither should law, meant to promote equality, promote class divide. We must ask ourselves: can we truly have democracy when some parts of the country feel less privileged than others? The 1999 constitution is evidently inequitable and needs, not piecemeal amendments, but a total reworking”.
Afenifere, however, lamented that “surprisingly, Governor Kwankwanso, one of those who believe the 1999 Constitution is perfect for Nigeria, has had two reasons to call for its amendment recently,alleging that “he changed his stance on the agitation for state police when his security aides were withdrawn by “order from above” during the Kano Emirship commotion and also called for amendment of the impeachment laws when a raft of impeachment wave threatened governors of his party, All Progressives Congress, claiming Nyako governorship in theprocess.”
