Return Nigeria to republican constitution – NADECO writes Tinubu
The National Democratic Coalition has written a letter to President Bola Tinubu, seeking Nigeria’s return to the republican constitution.
In the letter signed by its spokesperson, Ayo Opadokun, the pro-democracy group noted that the 1963 republican constitution ensures true federalism and guarantees peaceful co-existence among regions and tiers of government in the country.
“NADECO is gratified that one of its most prominent leaders, who, in fact, contributed significantly to the titanic democratic struggle and campaign that the organisation had to embark upon on behalf of Nigerians to restore democracy to Nigeria, has, by divine destiny, become the elected President of the country of our birth.
“We like to remind you of the most important demand of our common and just struggle, which was centred on the imperative necessity to return Nigeria to a federal constitutional governance upon which we secured our independence.
“Nigeria remains a country, not a nation to date, because the military had without Nigerians democratic approval truncated, illegally suspended, abrogated and replaced our negotiated independent constitution and replaced it with unitary constitution to date.
“The deceptively choreographed, 1979 and 1999 constitutions which preserved all the grave damages which successive military governments have forcefully imposed upon Nigeria remain the bane of Nigeria’s backwardness, stunted growth and unacceptable level of poverty.
“NADECO is more than convinced that a return to the independence/republican constitution will restore responsive and responsible government in the minimum as we grapple with the business of reconstructing our country.’’