Nigeria Operating Illegitimate Constitution, Says Agbakoba

Wants presidential candidates to consider amendments in manifestos

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has labelled the country’s constitution as illegitimate and responsible for the country’s disunity, poverty and other vices.

He, therefore, tasked all the presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election to review their manifestos to include a drastic constitutional review targeted at ending multi-dimensional poverty and challenges in Nigeria.

Agbakoba made this known yesterday while presenting the OAL 2022 Policy Report titled, ‘Big Issues for the 2023 General Election’ to journalists in Lagos.

According to him, the political economy of Nigeria was extremely fragile and incidentally, none of the candidates in their manifestos had attempted to link it all together.

According to him, “Some of the candidates referred to the fact that Nigeria is divided and I think we can all agree on that. So, we thought that their manifestos should have talked more about 'How To' and not just promise.

“Remember what Bola Ige said some years ago that, 'unless we deal with the political arrangements that Nigeria agrees to, we will never have peace. I think this is a very important consideration that seems to be missing in the presentations of the candidates. The underline current suggests that the illegitimacy of the constitution remains a problem.

“The constitution was bequeathed to us by the military.

And there is a very strong feeling particularly, among the sub-nationalities, i.e. Afenifere, Ohanaeze, and the likes, that you can't get this thing right unless you go to the issue of how we got this constitution in the first place.

“So, I will encourage the candidates to look at that. And emphasise the need for Nigerians to come together and create a new constitution accepted by Nigerians for Nigeria,” adding that it was the only way there could be true unity and oneness among Nigerians.