Why Nigerians should opt for Abacha’s 1995 constitution: Ngige

Labour and Employment Minister, Chris Ngige, has called for the adoption of the 1995 constitution by late military dictator, Sani Abacha, saying that is what the country needs at the moment because it backs rotational presidency.

Mr Ngige who made the call during Channels Television’s Newsnight programme on Monday blasted the framers of the 1999 constitution for failing to include rotational presidency in the law being used in the country today.

The minister, who claimed the present government in which he serves appears not to have marginalized the South-East geo-political zone, said zoning the next presidential slot to the Igbo predominantly area will assuage the feelings of being marginalized as perceived by the people of the region.

“The people in the area have perceived that they are marginalized, that they are unappreciated, whether it was done by propaganda and brainwashing or not, that is now immaterial,” Mr Ngige said. “So I agree with that proposal, unfortunately, the Nigerian Constitution does not have that. This is where I quarrel with those who authored the 1999 Constitution.

“I still believe today, tomorrow, the Abacha Constitution of 1995 that espouses rotational presidency into the six zones in Nigeria, a single five-year tenure in order to heal all the wounds; the wounds of civil war, and the wound of June 12.

“Now, that constitution would have been the best constitution for Nigerians to use for the next 30 years by which the six zones would have tested the presidency,” he added.