Constitution Review: Abdusalami, Anyaoku, Utomi, others hold emergency national confab in Abuja

Prominent Nigerians across the six geopolitical zones of the country have scheduled an emergency national conference in Abuja, to discuss the ongoing constitution review being undertaken by the National Assembly.

An emergency meeting would hold in Abuja Thursday to constitute the National Task Force for Zonal and State Political Dialogue.

The Head of Media and Publicity National Consultative Forum, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement explained that the Emergency Political Reforms Dialogue on the Constitutional Future of Nigeria would hold at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja Thursday.

It explained that the confab had received major groundswell during the week from the support and goodwill of key stakeholders and eminent Nigerians

Tanko said some of those who gave the historic Confab their support and goodwill during the week included a former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, and former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku.

Others were the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (SCIA) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, former President Atiku Abubakar, Cardinal John Onayekan, and President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Olasupo Adeniyi Ayokunle.

Tanko Yakassai, a former Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah; and former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, also gave their support for the confab.

Others who threw their weight behind the confab were a former Chairman of NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba; Leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Leader of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi; Faculty Director of the Fix Politics Initiative, Prof. Remi Sonaiya; and other key leaders of Nigerians in Diaspora.

The statement added that the Nigerians in Diaspora were already home bound to participate in the historic confab, among other delegates nominated by the confab selection council to attend the national conference.

Part of the statement read: “The all inclusive non-partisan Multi Stakeholders’ National Political Reforms Dialogue on the Constitutional Future of Nigeria is convened by a distinguished body of esteemed statesmen and women and eminent leaders of thought under the auspices of the Nigeria Political Summit Group (NPSG) working in conjunction with a respectable group of elders and leaders of conscience under the umbrella of National Consultative Front (NCFront) with support from some civil society platforms in Nigeria.”

The statement explained that the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2022 National Dialogue, Prof. Pat Utomi, had expressed optimism that both President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice-President Yemi Osibajo, who have been duly invited, would attend the forum.

Utomi, according to the statement, clarified that the Thursday’s gathering had been conceived as a critical summit of an inclusive platform of diverse stakeholders to negotiate and harmonise zonal and sectoral agenda for national consensus in taking effective advantage of the ongoing constitution review process of the Nigerian National Assembly.

He said the leadership of the National Assembly had also been invited to interface with the Nigerian leaders at the conference. (THISDAY)