Anyaoku: We’ve asked Tinubu to convene constituent assembly for a new constitution

Emeka Anyaoku, former secretary-general of the Commonwealth, has asked President Bola Tinubu to convene a national constituent assembly to produce a people-centred  constitution for the country.

Anyaoku, who is also the chairman of the Patriots, spoke on Friday in Abuja shortly after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.

The elder statesman said the group put some proposals to the president.

“We put some proposals to Mr. President and we urged him to send a president’s executive bill to the National Assembly, a bill that will call for two essential measures,” Anyaoku said.

“One the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, to be mandated to produce a new draft constitution.

“We also suggested that such a National Constituent Assembly should consist of individuals elected by the people on a non-party basis.

“Say, for example, three individuals per state, per each of the 36 states and one from the Federal Capital Territory and they should be mandated to produce a new draft constitution.

“And we also suggested that in the bill, the National Assembly should be asked to legislate for a national referendum because as our laws stand at the moment, we have no provision for a national referendum.

“We concluded by saying that the Draft Constitution to emerge from the constituent assembly should be subjected to the national referendum to give the people of Nigeria a chance to determine the new constitution.

“We also talked about the current crisis of protests throughout the country. And we advised the President that in our view, the government at the federal and state levels should dialogue with the leaders of the protests.

“The government should take the initiative in dialogue with the leaders of the protests. And secondly, we advised that law enforcement agencies, namely the police and the army, should avoid using lethal weapons in the management of the protests, so that we do not have casualties, or people killed because law and order enforcement agencies are managing the protests.”