Eminent leaders demand Constituent Assembly elections Nigeria for new federal constitution to replace 1999 military-imposed charter
Delegates at the National Constitutional Summit have called for Constituent Assembly elections Nigeria to be urgently conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to draft a truly people-driven constitution.
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The call was made on Friday in Abuja during the summit convened by the Eminent Patriots of Nigeria, a group of respected elder statesmen, intellectuals, and civic leaders who argue that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) lacks democratic legitimacy because it was imposed by a military regime.
Reading the communiqué, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku said the delegates urged President Bola Tinubu to send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly that would empower INEC to organise non-partisan elections for a national Constituent Assembly.
“The summit agreed that the 1999 Constitution is deeply flawed and unrepresentative. It does not reflect the will of the Nigerian people or respond to the challenges of our plural society,” Anyaoku declared.
He stressed that the Constituent Assembly would comprise elected representatives and key stakeholders from interest groups.
Its sole responsibility would be to draft a democratic constitution that reflects true federalism, and the final draft must be subjected to a national referendum before receiving presidential assent.
Delegates further called for the decentralisation of powers from the federal government to sub-national units to restore autonomy and accountability.
The current presidential system, they argued, is unsustainably expensive and stifles development due to excessive concentration of power in the executive.
“The summit calls for a return to a genuine federal system of government where regions or states have control over their resources, policing, and governance structures as practiced during the First Republic,” Anyaoku said.
He added that only Constituent Assembly elections Nigeria can provide the platform for this transformative shift in the country’s governance architecture.
On the judiciary, the summit noted that the centralised structure undermines access to justice.
Delegates proposed separating the office of the Attorney-General from that of the Minister of Justice at the federal level and adopting similar divisions in states to ensure independence of the legal system.
They recommended that federating units be allowed to establish appellate courts, with the Supreme Court focusing strictly on constitutional and inter-governmental disputes.
The summit also endorsed significant electoral reforms.
These include conducting all elections on a single day, mandatory use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), electronic transmission of results, and recognition of independent candidacy in the new constitution.
Additionally, delegates insisted on strict consequences for elected officials who defect from the political parties under which they were elected, advocating automatic forfeiture of such seats.
“The problem is structural and systemic. You can’t run a diverse and dynamic country on a centralised, military-style constitution,” said one of the summit participants.
“That’s why we are pushing for Constituent Assembly elections Nigeria to fix the foundational issues.”
On internal security, the forum supported the creation of state police forces and recommended statutory rotation of national security leadership roles to ensure inclusivity.
It reaffirmed Nigeria’s secular identity, warning both federal and sub-national governments against policies or actions that could undermine it.
Delegates concluded that the current pseudo-federal structure fuels waste and inefficiency and must be replaced with a more streamlined, cost-effective model rooted in accountability, diversity, and democratic values.
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The Eminent Patriots pledged to continue mobilising national consensus around the need for a new, inclusive and people-centred constitutional order through peaceful means.
