Collins Edomaruse
6 January 2009
Lagos — A vote of doubt was Monday night cast against the on-going moves by the National Assembly to review and amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Damaturu, Governor of Yobe State, Senator Mamman Bello Ali, said he doubted the capability of the lawmakers to effect the desired changes to the Constitution because of what he called inherent bottlenecks in the process.
He said: "Even the United States legislature with decades of legislative experience, could only effect changes in very few areas of the country's Constitution. Effecting changes is difficult. What they are theorising cannot be achieved. A governor, who is not happy with any clause that is being reviewed will pull a call to interest groups and the clause collapses."Ali, who was answering questions on his take on the calls for the removal of immunity clause from the Constitution said he would not lose sleep over the calls."Immunity is not for life. It does not stop any Governor from facing justice after his tenure. But the exercise itself is full of intrigues. So, arising from the intrigues of interests, it is virtually impossible to push through a new Constitution," he said.
The governor, who was a member of the National Assembly from 1999 to 2007 when the legislature made two failed attempts to review the Constitution, said: "In other countries, what the legislature does, is adopt norms which allow the government function more effectively if attempts at Constitutional review fail."
Taking the journalists into a historical excursion of the exercise, he said it was difficult satisfying the varied political interest groups that come to play in the process of any review.
Between 1999 and 2003, various attempts were made to review the Constitution and various committees were equally raised.
The executive had its committee and the National Assembly had its committee, too. But at the end of the day, the desires of all were not met. The report of the committee set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, after the submission, went through another scrutiny and at the end of the day, they merely picked up a few areas and sent to the legislature, Between 2003 and 2007, the third term saga shut down the attempt," he added.
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