Members of The Patriots, yesterday, during a South-West town hall meeting, described the 1999 Constitution as an outdated document incapable of addressing Nigeria’s current challenges.

The stakeholders, including Chairman of The Patriots’ South-West Advocacy, Mobilisation and Strategy Committee, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo; Prof. Anthony Kila, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Alapini (rtd), and various support groups from across the six South-West states, emphasised the urgent need to begin the process of drafting a new constitution that could rescue Nigeria from its present state.

The meeting, held at the Odu’a House in Ikeja, Lagos State, aimed to articulate the views of the South-West ahead of the constitution summit scheduled for June, which The Patriots is organising.

According to Adejumo, “There is a need, in accordance with the position of The Patriots, to replace the unworkable 1999 Constitution.” He said that Yoruba stakeholders would push for true federalism, resource control, state police, and possibly a return to the 1963 Constitution, or something close to it, but fundamentally different from the current framework.

Adejumo also decried a Nigeria where a particular ethnic group considers itself superior to others and assumes exclusive custody of state power at the expense of other ethnic nationalities.

In his remark, Kila said the decision to bring in support groups from across the six South-West states was to ensure a robust debate and an inclusive exchange of ideas on how Yorubaland should progress in a restructured Nigeria, a vision only achievable through a new constitution.

He clarified that the drive for a new constitution, as envisioned for the proposed June summit, would not discard earlier recommendations from previous constitutional conferences, especially the 2014 National Conference convened under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

On his own, Akintola said that the summit also seeks to ensure that the best minds and most committed Yoruba professionals are selected to represent the region at the national summit. He warned that the Yoruba nation must remain conscious of the challenges it faces within the broader Nigerian project.