Nigeria Constitution Product Of Northern Muslim Military, Says Afenifere Leader

A leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has faulted the Nigerian constitution on the basis that the contributions of other regions were were not sought while drafting it.

Adebanjo said the Northern Muslim military officers sidelined other regions while drafting the constitution and foisted it on Nigerians.

He made the claim while speaking at the opening session of a video conference organised by a group, the Governance Index, held in Lagos.

The video conference was tagged, “Coronavirus Pandemic: it is time to reevaluate the political structure of the country,”

The elder statesman also said  that President Muhammadu Buhari was not interested in Nigeria’s co-existence adding that the north was not forthcoming in developing the country.

Adebanjo explained that Buhari’s refusal to restructure Nigeria was responsible for the deluge of problems bedevilling the country.

He said: “The present constitution is an imposed constitution by the Muslim military in the North. Nobody contributed to it. Even General Abdulsalami said he did not know what was in the constitution before he swore in former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“I will say without any hesitation that we are all deceiving ourselves. President Buhari is not interested in keeping this country together, that is why we are having this problem, that is why we are putting square pegs in round holes, and that is why we tell him to keep to the constitution by the appointments he is making, but he said no.

‘’I can only work with people I have confidence in, which is against the federal character principle that the whole country is talking about. Buhari simply turns deaf ears to the agitation for restructuring that has been on for over five years.

“Buhari ignored the recommendations of the 2014 constitutional conference, he ignored the manifesto of his own party, and even ignored the recommendations of his own party, that is why I say we are not practicing democracy in this country.

“There is no sincerity on the part of the far North in putting this country together.”