Delegates at a National Constitutional Summit have called for an immediate constitutional framework that will return Nigeria to a truly federal system of government.

This was stated in a communique read by Maxwell Gidado and Mike Ozekhome, following a summit organised by The Patriots (Eminent National Leaders of Thought) and chaired by Emeka Anyaoku, a former Commonwealth secretary-general, which began on Wednesday.

The summit brought together Nigerians of various ethnic nationalities to discuss the state of the nation and the current constitution. The delegates recommended a federal system of government, where the federating units would enjoy autonomy similar to that of the First Republic and other genuine democracies worldwide.

The summit also agreed that the current system of government was too expensive, prone to abuse, and a hindrance to people’s welfare, as a major threat to the future of democracy in Nigeria.

The delegates, therefore, recommend that the constituent assembly should closely examine the most appropriate system of government for Nigeria. The delegates also recommend the devolution of powers from the centre to the federated units.

The delegates noted that a bicameral system for the federal legislature was unsustainable and expensive, adding that a more cost-effective system should be implemented.

They agreed that the president requested to introduce an executive bill to the National Assembly to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission to organise elections into a ‘National Constituent Assembly’.

“This assembly will be made up of delegates elected on a non-partisan basis as well as representatives of special interest groups. The assembly will rewrite a People’s Democratic Constitution that will be subjected to a referendum of the Nigerian people before it is assented to by the National Assembly.

“The assembly, in formulating the Constitution, will take into full consideration the 1960, 1963, and 1999 constitutions. The 2014 National Conference recommendations and others for a return to genuine federalism,’’ the communique stated.

Regarding the justice system, the delegates recommended that each federating unit have its own court hierarchy up to the Court of Appeal, reserving the federal Supreme Court to deal with matters of the highest constitutional importance.

The issues, according to the delegate, include interstate disputes and disputes between the federal and subcontinental courts.

“The delegates to the summit also recommend the creation of special courts to manage special offenses such as electoral matters, corruption, and terrorism cases, amongst others. The delegates to the summit recommend that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and that of the Minister of Justice should be separated to enable the appointment of a non-politically partisan attorney general,’’ the communique added.

The delegates also noted that elections were too costly and prone to corruption, resolving that all elections be conducted in a single day, stating that “this is cheaper, time-saving, and less prone to corruption.’’

The summit also recommended that the National Assembly amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the electronic transmission of results in real-time mandatory.

The summit also recommended that a new constitution should set caps on the number of ministers, commissioners, special advisers, and such officers to reduce the cost of governance. The delegates also recommended the arrest and prosecution of compromised judiciary and police officers to serve as a deterrent to criminality.

“There should therefore be comprehensive restructuring of the police and the court system for effective corruption-free justice delivery,’’ it added.

(NAN)