BIAFRALAND LAWMAKERS' DECLARATION THAT REFERENDUM CLAUSE DOES NOT EXIST IN 1999 CONSTITUTION: THE HEIGHT OF IGNORANCE TO THE CONTENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
By Mazi Onyebuchi Eze
For Family Writers
The recent declarations making news all over Nigeria by Senators and House of Representative members of Biafra extraction in Nigeria National Assembly, which had it that there is no referendum clause in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, as basis for Biafrans not to demand for Biafra referendum is the height of ignorance demonstrated by the supposed Senators and Honourable Representative members representing Biafraland in the both chambers of the Nigeria National Assembly (Senate and House of Rep).
It is on record that in a conference of Igbo ethnic nations elites organized in Enugu few days ago, that Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Senator representing Abia South while delivering his speech in the said conference, gullibly or mischievously stated that there is no referendum clause in Nigeria Constitution of 1999 as amended. In the speech, the gullible Sen. Abaribe called on IPOB members to support their useless and endless constitutional review/amendment so that referendum clause could be injected into the constitution. Recently also, members of Nigeria House of Representative from Biafraland which included Rt Hon. Igariwey Iduma-Enwo (Afikpo North & South Rep), Rt Hon. Toby Okechukwu (Chairman House Committee on Works), Hon. Jerry Alagboso, all also demonstrated ignorance of referendum clause in 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended when making comments and discussing why a referendum clause should be injected in the Constitution.
However, it is against these shows of shame by the Nigerian national lawmakers of Biafra extraction that I considered it necessary that I need to educate these Senators, House of Representative members and State House of Assembly members of Biafra extraction to understand that there is referendum clause in Nigeria 1999 Constitution as amended contrary to their gullible conclusion. It is however regrettably unfortunate, that these lawmakers are sitting on these chambers of National Assembly without having a clear understanding of the contents of the Constitution of Nigeria which they are making supplementary laws from.
In Section 8, sub-section 1, paragraph (b) and (c) of 1999 Constitution read thus:
(b) a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for the creation of new state originated;
(c) the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all...........
In Section 8 of the Constitution of Nigeria, REFERENDUM clause is mentioned up to 4x as only tool through which the political desire of a people demanding for a new state creation in Nigeria is determined. It is important for these gullible lawmakers to know that if the people of every part of the defunct Nigerian federation have the right of using a referendum process to decide on whether they neeed a new state creation and boundary adjustment of their territory within the said Nigerian federation or not, that same people are also expected to be at same liberty to determine through same referendum process contained in Constitution whether they will stay in the country under reference or not. But what continued to beat my imagination is whether these obviously poorly lettered business moguls turned Senators and House of Representative members have not sighted this section of the Constitution or have they read but fail to understand, talk more of interpreting these paragraphs of the section, or they are merely mischievously pretending ignorance of the passage of the Constitution. I began to ask myself as follows:
1. Do these poorly educated Senators and Rep members expecting to see "Biafra referendum" in Constitution?
2. What exactly did they understand that the people have right to referendum to get a new state?
3. The difference between same people who has right to demand a new state through referendum and same people demand a political sovereignty of same territory via same referendum?
Whatever the problem of these Biafra extraction Senators and Rep members could be does not count any more to Biafran youths. What count now is that both National and State lawmakers from Biafraland led by Sen. Ike Ekweremmadu are under obligation to move motion for Biafra referendum in Nigerian Senate, House of Representative and State Houses of Assembly using the constitutional provision of the right of people to decide where they wish to belong as stipulated in Section 8 of Nigeria 1999 Constitutional as amended. Failure to do this by these lawmakers whether in National Assembly or State Houses of Assembly, let them watch their back anywhere they are because they have become the worst enemy of Biafrans because they are dining and wining with the oppressors of Biafrans. It is expected that after this public enlightenment, no lawmaker from Biafra extraction is expected to say that there is no referendum in Nigeria Constitution any more.
By Mazi Onyebuchi Eze
For Family Writers
The recent declarations making news all over Nigeria by Senators and House of Representative members of Biafra extraction in Nigeria National Assembly, which had it that there is no referendum clause in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, as basis for Biafrans not to demand for Biafra referendum is the height of ignorance demonstrated by the supposed Senators and Honourable Representative members representing Biafraland in the both chambers of the Nigeria National Assembly (Senate and House of Rep).
It is on record that in a conference of Igbo ethnic nations elites organized in Enugu few days ago, that Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Senator representing Abia South while delivering his speech in the said conference, gullibly or mischievously stated that there is no referendum clause in Nigeria Constitution of 1999 as amended. In the speech, the gullible Sen. Abaribe called on IPOB members to support their useless and endless constitutional review/amendment so that referendum clause could be injected into the constitution. Recently also, members of Nigeria House of Representative from Biafraland which included Rt Hon. Igariwey Iduma-Enwo (Afikpo North & South Rep), Rt Hon. Toby Okechukwu (Chairman House Committee on Works), Hon. Jerry Alagboso, all also demonstrated ignorance of referendum clause in 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended when making comments and discussing why a referendum clause should be injected in the Constitution.
However, it is against these shows of shame by the Nigerian national lawmakers of Biafra extraction that I considered it necessary that I need to educate these Senators, House of Representative members and State House of Assembly members of Biafra extraction to understand that there is referendum clause in Nigeria 1999 Constitution as amended contrary to their gullible conclusion. It is however regrettably unfortunate, that these lawmakers are sitting on these chambers of National Assembly without having a clear understanding of the contents of the Constitution of Nigeria which they are making supplementary laws from.
In Section 8, sub-section 1, paragraph (b) and (c) of 1999 Constitution read thus:
(b) a proposal for the creation of the state is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for the creation of new state originated;
(c) the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all...........
In Section 8 of the Constitution of Nigeria, REFERENDUM clause is mentioned up to 4x as only tool through which the political desire of a people demanding for a new state creation in Nigeria is determined. It is important for these gullible lawmakers to know that if the people of every part of the defunct Nigerian federation have the right of using a referendum process to decide on whether they neeed a new state creation and boundary adjustment of their territory within the said Nigerian federation or not, that same people are also expected to be at same liberty to determine through same referendum process contained in Constitution whether they will stay in the country under reference or not. But what continued to beat my imagination is whether these obviously poorly lettered business moguls turned Senators and House of Representative members have not sighted this section of the Constitution or have they read but fail to understand, talk more of interpreting these paragraphs of the section, or they are merely mischievously pretending ignorance of the passage of the Constitution. I began to ask myself as follows:
1. Do these poorly educated Senators and Rep members expecting to see "Biafra referendum" in Constitution?
2. What exactly did they understand that the people have right to referendum to get a new state?
3. The difference between same people who has right to demand a new state through referendum and same people demand a political sovereignty of same territory via same referendum?
Whatever the problem of these Biafra extraction Senators and Rep members could be does not count any more to Biafran youths. What count now is that both National and State lawmakers from Biafraland led by Sen. Ike Ekweremmadu are under obligation to move motion for Biafra referendum in Nigerian Senate, House of Representative and State Houses of Assembly using the constitutional provision of the right of people to decide where they wish to belong as stipulated in Section 8 of Nigeria 1999 Constitutional as amended. Failure to do this by these lawmakers whether in National Assembly or State Houses of Assembly, let them watch their back anywhere they are because they have become the worst enemy of Biafrans because they are dining and wining with the oppressors of Biafrans. It is expected that after this public enlightenment, no lawmaker from Biafra extraction is expected to say that there is no referendum in Nigeria Constitution any more.
I BEG EDUCATE THEM THEY DONT KNW THEIR OBLICATIONS
ReplyDeleteThe zoological republic of Nigeria practicing is demo-crazy. How can a constitution drawn by northern military dictators be used in the current presidential democracy, which imitates that of the Unites State of America. In America, every State, LG, etc. have autonomy. A country where a lawyer can stop the president’s travel ban, a country where States like Texas, CA, and others threatens to leave the union if provoked. What we are practicing in Nigeria is military presidential system.
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