Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege has faulted the call for an entirely new constitution rather than the amendment of the one on ground, saying to embark on a new process without prior alteration of section 9 of the Constitution would amount to gross violation of the oath of allegiance.
Omo-Agege stated this Thursday in Abuja at the National Public Hearing of the committee on the review of the 1999 constitution, convened to enable further alteration to the provisions of the constitution.
He however assured that the constitution review committee would follow highest ethical standards, best legislative practice, integrity, open-mindedness and patriotism in order to give Nigerians a most desired new constitution.
He explained that the committee had conducted zonal public hearings in 12 locations across the six geo-political zones of the country, where members heard the views of many Nigerians and other memoranda.
He also said the committee received a broad range of issues about the review of the constitution, studied them and also engaged a selected group of competent consultant to further examine the recommendations from the report of the 2014 national conference.
Omo-Agege said the committee had also revisited some of the bills in the past constitution amendment exercises which did not pass the hurdles of concurrence with the House of Representatives, ratification by state Houses of Assembly and Presidential assent.
“We have painstakingly re-examined those bills and reintroduced some of the proposals we deem beneficiary to our people.
“We are looking at them to determine at what stage of the process they fell off the list and reason thereof, with a view to improving on them to suit the demands of our time and ensuring that they do not suffer the same fate,” he said.
He therefore called on Nigerians present at the public hearing to abide by standard irrespective of their political affiliation while making their contributions.
