A prominent member of the Afenifere group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, expressed his disappointment with President Bola Tinubu and the governors from the South-West region for missing a crucial opportunity to reform Nigeria’s constitution back in 1999 when the country transitioned to democracy. Adebanjo made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television.
He criticized the former governors, including Tinubu, for failing to advocate for a people-oriented constitution when they had the chance. Adebanjo argued they needed to be bolder to push for meaningful change. Tinubu, who served as the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, was specifically mentioned as one of the six South-West governors who backed down from demanding a Sovereign National Conference after the military regime under Abdulsalami Abubakar agreed to return the country to civilian rule following the death of Sani Abacha.
Adebanjo believes that Tinubu, now in a position of influence as a potential presidential candidate, has another opportunity to address the shortcomings of the 1999 Constitution. He emphasized the importance of allowing Nigerians to determine the constitution that governs their nation rather than continuing with what he described as a “military-imposed constitution” still in use after 24 years.
The elder statesman asserted that a new constitution developed by the people would help tackle issues such as insecurity and pave the way for establishing state police forces. He highlighted the missed opportunity during the transition to democracy in 1999 when there was a call for a Sovereign National Conference. Despite their initial reluctance, Adebanjo stated that the Afenifere group eventually participated in the 1999 elections after receiving assurances for a constitutional conference.
Adebanjo criticized the South-West governors, accusing them of betraying the people’s trust by not pushing for constitutional reforms. He recalled urging governors, including Tinubu, to boycott activities in Abuja until the constitution was changed, but they opted for the trappings of office instead.
According to Adebanjo, all six state assemblies in the South-West had passed resolutions calling for a Sovereign National Conference. Still, the governors needed to act on the people’s demands. He urged Tinubu to rectify these past mistakes by initiating constitutional changes based on reports from the 2014 National Conference and recommendations from the APC-led government’s constitutional review committee headed by ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Adebanjo stressed the importance of decentralizing security by advocating for state police, arguing that localized policing would better address the nation’s security challenges. He pointed out that the centralized policing system was inadequate, drawing comparisons with policing models in countries like the United States.
Responding to concerns about potential abuse of state police powers by governors, Adebanjo emphasized that the constitution already designates governors as the chief security officers of their states, but they lack the authority to fulfill this role effectively.
In conclusion, Adebanjo reiterated the urgent need for constitutional reforms and expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of progress. He called for tangible actions to address the nation’s challenges, emphasizing the importance of consensus-building to achieve lasting peace and development in Nigeria.
