Bola Ahmed Tinubu said yesterday that
President Goodluck Jonathan's proposed
national conference may end up as a wasteful
and barren exercise.
He said rather than a fresh conference, the
government should send the 118
recommendations of the 2005 National
Political Reform Conference, without its third
term provision, to the National Assembly for
consideration as part of its ongoing
constitution amendment.
In a statement yesterday, Tinubu raised several
issues, which he urged those who genuinely
support the proposed conference to carefully
ponder.
He concluded that "there is mischief in the air"
and that the conference is "a pointless and
needless distraction".
"I call on President Jonathan to abandon this
fruitless path," Tinubu said.
Tinubu had earlier described the proposed
conference as a deception and Greek gift,
which must be viewed with utmost caution and
suspicion.
He told reporters on his return from overseas
that the planned dialogue was ill-conceived, ill-
timed, and ill-motivated, and that the Jonathan
administration is demonstrably and incurably
incapacitated to successfully oversee and
actualise the objectives of such a crucial and
sensitive exercise.
In the statement yesterday, the former Lagos
State governor said rather than respond to him
on points of fact and logic, the
administration's officials went on a fruitless
voyage of personal attacks and insults.
Tinubu said he remained committed in his
belief that fundamental constitutional changes
would liberate the country from perennial
crises, instability, disunity, poverty and
underdevelopment.
According to him, he has first-hand experience
of the negative effects of an overbearing and
suffocating Federal Government that prevents
the states from maximising their potentials in
the best interest of their people.
For instance, he said Lagos State would today
have been generating sufficient electricity to
meet the needs of her people but for the
monopolistic control of electricity supply by
the Federal Government.
Despite his belief in the need for a
fundamental restructuring, Tinubu is
exceedingly suspicious of the ruling party's
motives.
The basis of his suspicion is that the Jonathan
administration has ignored calls for a national
conference for years, only to see the need for
it in less than 15 months to the next general
elections.
Tinubu questioned Jonathan's decision to
jettison previous similar conferences organised
by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
government.
He recalled that former President Olusegun
Obasanjo made efforts in constitutional and
political reforms.
One of such efforts is the National Political
Reform Conference inaugurated on February
21, 2005, which had the late Chief Anthony
Enahoro; former Commonwealth Secretary-
General Chief EmekaAnyaoku, Chief Edwin
Clark, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), Senator Femi
Okuroummu, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, among
others, as delegates.
The assembly came up with 118
recommendations for far-reaching
constitutional and political changes in Nigeria,
but the entire work was discarded because of
the third term agenda.
"Why then can't the Jonathan administration
simply remove that third term virus
emphatically rejected by Nigerians and pass
the other 117 recommendations for the
consideration of the National Assembly as part
of its on-going constitutional review and
amendment exercise?
"Doesn't every administration inherit the assets
and liabilities of its predecessor?" Tinubu
asked.
He recalled that in November 2011, Jonathan
inaugurated the Justice Alfa Belgore
Presidential Committee on the Review of
Outstanding Issues from Recent Constitutional
Conferences, but nothing has come out of its
report submitted on July 11, last year.
Another presidential retreat was held for Civil
Society Organisations and professional groups
at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja,
on September 6, last year, with the theme:
"Towards a People's Constitution".
"What excuse does he (Jonathan) then have for
seeking to commence a fresh national
conference towards the end of 2013 – barely
15 months to fresh elections?
"And this suspicious move is coming after the
National Assembly has expended substantial
public resources going round the country,
collating views from individuals and groups in
pursuit of its constitutional amendment
exercise.
"If the decisions of the proposed national
conference will still go back to the same
National Assembly, are we not simply going
round in meaningless circles or being served
deception a la carte?"
"I urge those who genuinely support the
proposed constitutional conference for
national change to carefully ponder these
issues. Surely, there is mischief in the air. This
is a pointless and needless distraction. I call on
President Jonathan to abandon this fruitless
path," Tinubu said.
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