The Nigeria Political Summit Group and the National Consultative Front (NCFront) on Tuesday said arrangements had been concluded for a multi-stakeholder national constitution reform dialogue on May 12.

Pat Utomi, chairman, national organising committee of the group, said at a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos that flaws in the nation’s constitution were responsible for some of its challenges.

Mr Utomi said the forthcoming confab on the constitutional future of Nigeria scheduled for Abuja, would involve eminent ethnic nationalities, religious leaders, political parties and the government.

He said the challenge now was to stimulate rational public conversation by stakeholders on the issues that affected the constitutional future of the country.

Mr Utomi said Nigeria’s constitution was responsible for its numerous challenges, adding that it was imperative to carry out surgery on the document.

He decried that for a long time, those who arrived in power under “the steam of the extant document” and campaigned to reform it, had continued to turn a blind eye to the truth they earlier professed.

Mr Utomi also called for restructuring of policing and local government systems as well as devolution of power, greater accountability and fairness in the nation’s electoral system.

“So we plan to bring to the public view,  work that has been ongoing, reviewing the output of the previous political reform conferences.

“With inputs from eminent stakeholders, who  have affirmed participation, we can get a draft to the Nigerian people to use to question candidates for public office in this election cycle,” Mr Utomi said.

He said the group, made up of leaders of thoughts, elder statesmen and women, remained a non- partisan but committed to the sacrificial struggle for a better nation.

(NAN)