The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has called for specific constitutional roles for deputy governors.

Mr Ganduje said this at an annual conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN) in Abuja.

Mr Ganduje said assigning constitutional roles would prevent unnecessary clashes between governors and their deputies.

“I am happy that you, the deputy governors, have decided to come together and form yourselves into a forum and embark on this advocacy.

“As you create awareness, as you meet people and talk to leaders of our country, there is a need to constitutionally give roles to the deputy governors,” said the former Kano governor.

Also speaking, ex-attorney general of the federation, Kanu Agabi, advised political leaders to be guided by patriotism.

He said nothing was wrong with the Nigerian Constitution, but the inability to observe it.

Mr Agabi said, “There are some of us who feel that the constitution is an invalid document, that it is illegitimate, and that it is a product of the military. Even if it is a broken-down vehicle, it is the vehicle.

“It is a good constitution; there is nothing wrong with it. However good a constitution is, it is not a self-executing document; it doesn’t enforce itself. It requires good people to enforce it.”

The former justice minister added, “Of course, it is not intended to be a perfect document, but this nation must begin to respect the constitution. We must begin to respect the nation’s history and not go on describing it as an artificial creation.”

Mr Agabi to the federal government to make the nation self-reliant, tackle corruption, and release dissidents in prison to allow them to contribute their quota to national development.

“I appeal to the federal government to release all those dissidents who are in detention so that they can come out to unite the state and move it forward. I am not afraid of those dissidents; bring them over, release them, and let them recognise that we can teach them unity and peace,” said Mr Agabi. “For ever since we became an independent nation, we have been living in peace.”

Mr Agabi also urged Nigerians to come together and be united as a country.

“Once a nation adopts a presidential system of government, unity is not optional,” he noted.

(NAN)