In a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, The Patriots, a group of Nigerian statesmen led by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, called for the convening of a constituent assembly to draft “a people democratic pluralistic constitution” for the country.
Following the meeting on Friday, Anyaoku addressed State House correspondents and urged the president to present an executive bill to the National Assembly for legislation on a national referendum to approve the draft constitution.
He proposed a 109-member constituent assembly tasked with producing the draft constitution that would undergo a referendum for legitimacy.
Anyaoku emphasized the importance of a pluralistic constitution in addressing Nigeria’s development challenges, citing examples of countries like India and Canada that have maintained resilience through such constitutions.
He urged Tinubu to engage in dialogue with leaders involved in the #EndBadGovernance protest and advised law enforcement agencies to refrain from using lethal weapons on protesting civilians.