Source: http://www.punchng.com/news/confab-northern-delegates-reject-draft-constitution/

Northern delegates attending the ongoing National Conference have dissociated themselves from the “New Draft Constitution” made available to all the delegates by the leadership of the conference in Abuja on Monday.
The northerners said that they were not privy to the emergence of the draft constitution.
The proposed amendment submitted to the delegates was titled, “A bill for an act to further alter the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(1999) with the first, second and third alteration, and for related matters 2014”.
It was among the three copies of the report of the conference that were handed over to the delegates on Monday when they resumed plenary.
The report would be debated when the conference resumes plenary on Wednesday (today).
But the northern delegates at their meeting, which lasted for several hours in Abuja on Tuesday, vowed that they would never be part of the plot to draft a new constitution for the country.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, the leader of the group, who is also the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, alleged that some undemocratic forces were working behind the scene at the conference.
He said the conference lacked legal authority, moral right and political reasons to write a new constitution.
Coomassie, who was a former Inspector General of Police, said, “We the Northern Delegates to the conference wish to assure patriotic Nigerians and all lovers of democracy that we are neither privy to, nor were accessory to the emergence of the controversial ‘New Draft Constitution 2014’.
“We , therefore, unequivocally disown it, and emphatically disassociate ourselves from it. Accordingly, we will have nothing to do with it, for the following legal, moral and political reasons.”
Among the reasons cited by him were that delegates to the conference were not elected, and therefore lacked both legal and moral authority to draft a new constitution for the Nigerian Federation.
He said the delegates were merely constituted to serve as an ad hoc advisory mechanism for the President.
But the Yoruba delegates have described the allegation by their northern counterparts as a ploy to blackmail the conference.
Secretary of the Yoruba delegates, Dr. Kunle Olajide, who spoke with our correspondent after the meeting of the group, said it was wrong to say that the conference was writing a new constitution.
He also denied the allegation that the conference had been hijacked by some groups, saying that the leadership of the conference did not involve any of the delegates in putting the agreements reached during their plenary into one.
Olajide said, “There is nothing like tenure elongation, 50 per cent derivation and such in the draft. Nobody was part of the draft; it was a surprise to all of us.
“But the draft consists of all the decisions and amendments taken at the plenary. Amending the existing Constitution will lead to its mutilation.”
Olajide added that the President had executive power to take issues discussed at the conference to the people via referendum.

As Usual North dragging us all back since 1914

AS Usual Afenifere making sense since 1956.

hmmmmmm

Resistance put up by far Northerners against change will either leave them irrelevant or breakup the country

hahahahahahaha!

Nigeria was a mistake made by a crminal minded slave master called Mr. Luggard!
North cannot have the same ideology with south!
it will never happen!

Thus, Nigeria can never be great!
Two cannot work together except they agree!

The North is studying Arabic and Sharia while the South is studying medicine and Engineering!
Yet, the North must dictate to the South!
Shame on Southerners shouting "one" Nigeria!

Nigeria was never one, it is not one now and will never be one!

We are still calling on Biafrans living in the Jihardists enclave to return while the chance is their.

If the North is not ready, the south should move on with the draft constitution bill. Simple.

Why is the north always dragging the rest of the Country backwards? Why are they averse to change? Why did they agree to attend the National Conference when they knew they did not want any change? For how long is the rest of the Country going to continue to move at the pace the north wants?

Questions and questions!

are we surprised?

On the one hand, the Northerner says

“We the Northern Delegates to the conference wish to assure patriotic Nigerians and all lovers of democracy that we are neither privy to, nor were accessory to the emergence of the controversial ‘New Draft Constitution 2014’.

...and on the other, the South Western delegate says

But the draft consists of all the decisions and amendments taken at the plenary.

I wonder who we should believe - or were the Northerners all sleeping during plenary?

d problem of diz country has always been d north itz cuz of dere myopic thinking dat we still were we r today nd dat y d highest group of uneducated ppl r in d north d poorest set of ppl in Nigeria r in d north d highest number of illiteratez r in d north. Dy r d genesis of all our problems.

Obviously the far north wants status quo: under-development, Boko Haram, feeding bottle federalism, etc. This is the major reason why those behind the APC agenda of returning power to the far north in 2015 look stupid.

It appears that If the other parts of Nigeria want CHANGE, then peaceful separation of the country may be the only way out.

pls if d North is not ready to Embrace change tell me, so that i can cut them out from d map of Nigeria.

silly people moving us backward since d stupid Lord Luggard Arranged this fake marriage.

HNosegbe:
I wonder who we should believe - or were the Northerners all sleeping during plenary?

Why cant the northerners collect the Draft Constitution, take it home and study, clause for clause, to see if what was agreed at plenary were the things there or whether other issues have been smuggled in?

uh kares about the poor region mtchew

Sincere9gerian: Obviously the far north wants status quo: under-development, Boko Haram, feeding bottle federalism, etc.
This is the major reason why those behind the APC agenda of returning power to the far north in 2015 look stupid.
It appears that If the other parts of Nigeria want CHANGE, then peaceful separation of the country may be the only way out.

You just slammed the munde hammer on the nail's head, God bless sincere indeed

Sincere9gerian: Obviously the far north wants status quo: under-development, Boko Haram, feeding bottle federalism, etc. This is the major reason why those behind the APC agenda of returning power to the far north in 2015 look stupid.

It appears that If the other parts of Nigeria want CHANGE, then peaceful separation of the country may be the only way out.

Exactly. They were against the National Conference in the first place. These northern people are brainless.

T9ksy:


So you really believe there can be a peaceful disintegration of the country? Oh well, more fool you.

You people should have let the northerners be when they brazenly expressed their fears in joining your One Nigeria project.


Be careful what you ask for.................................as you might just get it!!!

The greatest mistake made by the North is to think that it has more stakes in nigeria than the South.

With their minds infested with Jihardism, the North has harrassed us with nothing else but violence and even you here is no different!

BH is already showing the might of the north! Do not be deceived with Biafra because this time around, the UK, Russia and their allies will not win the war for you.

I know that Iran and all the other Jihardist states may try to help, but just know that the battle field is not Enugu and Onitsha, but Kano and Maiduguri!

Bring it on boy!

southerners are just too selfish are sentimental, that new constitution is just another plot my Jonathan to achieve his personal interest, but must of southerners are blind to see that, southerners particularly south west had been Nigeria's problem since 1960.

May we know just ONE interest of Mr President this might remotely serve?

Ahmedie25: southerners are just too selfish are sentimental, that new constitution is just another plot my Jonathan to achieve his personal interest, but must of southerners are blind to see that, southerners particularly south west had been Nigeria's problem since 1960.

Sometimes like this I remember Late President Yaradua. He is one person who would have had guts to do the right thing and correct some anomalies in this fraudulent entity called Nigeria but do we move on? YES

...how?


By vigorously engaging these guys that vowed we must either continue to collectively live in the stone age, by standing against those who doesn't want true development because of their minute selfish considerations and to pin-pointedly engage those who believe Nigeria is better as it is now because they benefit more( while still talking of marginalisation from the side mouth), and to remain steadfast on the side of TRUTH..
.

Then, what is the TRUTH.....?

See them educated illiterates who cannot read and comprehend; even if the answer is there in front of them, sentiments and bigotry would not allow them to see it.

The delegates have clearly stated their reasons:

The conference was not conferred with powers to draft a new constitution because it was not constituted as a constitutional assembly.
Any further constitutional reform can no longer be tabled for referendum, which must first pass through the national assembly, because this route is for now blocked for the lifetime of the current assembly in view it had already been tabled and rejected twice, and therefore cannot be re-submitted again to this assembly - as per current constitution.
Lastly, smuggling constitutional amendment at this stage represents a ploy for 3rd term agenda which Nigerians had vehemently rejected twice before stemming from Abacha and Obasanjo.

Lets see if somebody can fault these positions - otherwise, what's there that is so difficult to understand?

size38: If the North is not ready, the south should move on with the draft constitution bill. Simple.

To where

abu12:

To where

We are leaving you behind, you can now practice in full and to the letter the real Sharia.

PS.
Don't forget to chop up women who commit adultery. Enjoy your new country and if you like, take Yoruba muslims with you.

T9ksy:


As long as the battlefield is nowhere in yorubaland, i care less.

You guys should have let the northerners be.....................................

WAR is never the answer.

it is only a matter of time and Islam will radicalise a particular generation of your sons then you will understnad why Nigeria is a mistake!