Constitution Amendment: NBA Insists On Referendum

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) says only a referendum will bestow legitimacy on the outcome of Constitution amendment.

The President of the association, Chief Okey Wali, said this on Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the NBA Committee on Constitutional Review and Law Reform.

“Nobody will use us to legitimise illegitimacy as the credibility of the planned amendment can only be guaranteed when the public is allowed to vote on the outcome.

“It is not visible for all the pertinent issues confronting our nation to be addressed through a day’s public hearing.

“It is not even enough to gather the materials from zones or the federating states through visitations. We require the full participation of people with voting rights for the process to become binding,” he said.

Wali said the NBA had some reservations about the ongoing process, adding that it did not appear to be orderly.

“There is no clear agenda or known methodology which the various government structures like the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, its House of Representatives’ counterpart, Justice Belgore’s Presidential Committee on the review and the Governor’s Forum are all working towards.

“In fact, the House of Representatives will be holding public hearing sessions simultaneously in all the 360 Federal constituencies in the country on Saturday, 10 November, 2012.

“We believe the process should have been neatly arranged other than what has been given. So, the NBA is going to work with other stakeholders with the sole purpose of gathering vital issues that can be canvassed into the constitution,” he said.

Wali said the thematic areas the committee would work on included but not limited to federalism, supremacy of the constitution, devolution of powers and strengthening institutions that consolidate democracy.

The others, according to him, are judicial and justice sector reforms, electoral systems reforms, local government system reforms, state creation, regionalism, fiscal federalism, as well as socio-economic rights.

He urged members of the committee to engage the process through strategic consultation with other actors, saying “the NBA feels a strong pull to contribute to this all important process.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Charlse Edosomwan is the Chairman of the 12-man Committee.

The NBA Rule of Law Action Group was also inaugurated with Mr. Dele Adesina as Chairman.

Wali said the group would lead the drive for a comprehensive process of institutional change and reforms for the country.

“This Action Group is challenged today to begin to address critical issues like, how do we appreciate and ensure that Nigerians respect the rule of law?”