Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), rights activist and constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, has asked why the National Assembly is afraid of ‘referendum’ and ‘a people’s constitution’.
Ozekhome, in an interview on Channels Television, recalled how he took on frontally the Deputy Senate President, Senator Omo-Agege on this issue penultimate Friday June 11 at the International Conference Centre.
The senior lawyer said he explained on a blow-by-blow account how to bring about what we call a people’s constitution, after a referendum.
He said: “In trying to restructure this behemoth, this elephantine, this very unwieldy, unitary federation, which passes for a federal system of government, how do we go about it? That has always been the question. And I have never underrated the role of the National Assembly. But the National Assembly itself, on the other hand, does not seem to understand what it ought to do.
“I took on frontally the Deputy Senate President, Senator Omo-Agege on this issue penultimate Friday at the International Conference Centre, where I explained on a blow-by-blow account how to bring about what we call a people’s constitution, after a referendum.
“These are words that these people are afraid of. I don’t know whey they are afraid of a referendum or a people’s constitution. It was done in Eritrea, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, Morocco.
“These people, even with a government in power, were able to start a new document called the people’s constitution, which was subjected to the people in a referendum.”