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A Rejoinder to Mrs. Oluremi Ojo’s Statement Wrongly Clothing the National Assembly With Constitutional Sovereignty Jim I Akhere Ph.D. President Obasanjo’s spokesperson Mrs. Oluremi Ojo is said to have announced recently as follows “It not possible for them to hold such a conference because they have not earned the power to do so through the ballot box” She
was no doubt referring to Elder statesmen Chief Anthony Enahoro and
Alhaji Balarabe Musa who are in the middle of the clamour for the
convocation of a Sovereign National Conference between Nigerians to
discuss honestly among ourselves and chart a viable course and modus
operandi for the continued existence of Mrs. Ojo was no doubt giving vent to Obasanjo government’s stiff opposition to the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference. The government’s opposition is totally unsustainable legally, politically, and philosophically. The truth, which has often been overlooked by the opponents of the Sovereign National Conference, is that sovereignty resides in the people of Nigeria as a collectivity. It neither resides in Obasanjo as the first citizen of Nigeria nor in his cabinet, nor does it reside in the National Assembly nor even in the Courts. It resides undoubtedly in the people hence the beginning phrase of our Constitution “We the people ---- It is pertinent to have a quick recourse here to the simple definition of democracy which is operative in our country not withstanding the bastardized form in which it is at present being practised. Democracy is said to be “A government of the people for the people by the people". should be pointed out that it is because of the impracticability of having everybody at one and the same time carrying out the act governance that the architects of the democratic form of government contrived the election process to enable the choice of a few people to carry out the act of governance on behalf of the people and for the people. Since it is the people as a collectivity who elected some people to govern for them sovereignty resides in the people . Broken down further, all those in government can be said to be agents of the people. It is trite that an agent can never be greater than his principal. He acts for his master. It will amount to one thinking with ones toes for one to imagine that an agent is greater than his principal. For the presidential spokesperson to say that sovereignty lies with either the president or the National Assembly is to say the least worrisome. How ever one can not conclusively say that the said utterance of the presidential spokesperson has its roots in ignorance for she made a concession when she opined that under the Constitution the protagonists of the Sovereign National Conference may convene a conference for ‘It falls within the constitutional rights of all Nigerians to freely associate and interact' . The spokesperson’s problem is the sovereignty of the conference. That should not be a problem. Simple logic teaches us that he who gives can always take. It is often said about God the Almighty Sovereign when some one passes away ‘God gives God takes away ,blessed be His name’ The
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Is Nigeria blessed when there is grinding poverty every where in the midst of plenty? If the answer to each of the above questions is in the negative then there is an urgent need for Nigerians as a people to come together to talk. There ought to be a forum where the above questions and more should be discussed and appropriate solutions sought for the good of all Nigerians. The time for discussion is now when total anarchy and chaos have not taken hold. Time is certainly of the essence. Nigeria is heading for a precipice with incredible alacrity. President Obasanjo will go down in history as a great president if he facilitates the process of halting the decent of our great nation in a state of nature where life is short, brutish and nasty. That process is the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference It is to be noted that from the time in 1914 when Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated by our colonial masters the circa 250 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria have never had the opportunity to discuss the basis ,form and philosophy of their association. It has been a miracle of sorts that the geographical expression called Nigeria in which tribe and tongue differ seriously has managed to stand in brotherhood. Having stood for such a long time Nigeria is now wobbling If Nigerians are to move on in brotherhood ,if we are to take giant steps in brotherhood, there is a dire need to talk to and with ourselves A Sovereign National Conference is the only forum where we can frankly talk to and with ourselves From Jim I Akhere PhD The
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