Pa Ayo Adebanjo, a prominent figure in Afenifere, has criticized President Bola Tinubu and former governors of the South-West for missing the opportunity to rewrite Nigeria’s constitution when the country returned to democracy in 1999. Adebanjo expressed his views in an interview on Channels Television, highlighting the failure of the former governors to insist on a people’s constitution during their tenure.
Adebanjo pointed out that Tinubu, who served as the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, and other South-West governors at the time, failed to demand a Sovereign National Conference after the transition from military to civilian rule under Abdulsalami Abubakar. He described this as a missed opportunity to address the flaws in Nigeria’s constitution and governance structure.
Despite their past shortcomings, Adebanjo believes that Tinubu, now in a position of influence, has the opportunity to rectify past mistakes by championing the rewriting of the constitution. He emphasized the need for Nigerians to have a constitution they agree upon, rather than the “military-imposed constitution” that has been in place for the past 24 years.
Adebanjo advocated for a new people’s constitution that would address issues of insecurity and allow for the establishment of state police. He criticized the current centralized policing system and called for greater autonomy for state governments in addressing security challenges.
Reflecting on past efforts by Afenifere to advocate for constitutional reform, Adebanjo lamented the failure of South-West governors to uphold their commitment to a Sovereign National Conference. He urged for a renewed push for constitutional change, suggesting the adoption of recommendations from the 2014 National Conference and the El-Rufai Constitution Recommendation.