President Bola Tinubu has pledged to consider a request from a group of eminent Nigerians, known as The Patriots, to establish a national constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution.
However, he emphasized that his immediate focus is on revitalizing the economy to ensure sustainable growth and development.
The President made this commitment on Friday while receiving members of The Patriots, led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, at the State House in Abuja. According to a statement signed by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Tinubu acknowledged the importance of the group’s proposal but reiterated that economic reform remains his top priority.
“I am currently preoccupied with economic reform. That is my first priority. Once this is in place, as soon as possible, I will look at other options, including constitutional review as recommended by you and other options,” President Tinubu stated during the meeting.
He assured the delegation that their submissions would be carefully reviewed, and indicated that they would be invited again for further discussions on the matter. “I may have to invite some of you again to furnish me and discuss further details of your rich submissions. As you present this, just believe that it will be reviewed, and I commit myself to the belief that you want a stable and prosperous Nigeria,” Tinubu affirmed.
Earlier, Chief Anyaoku, speaking on behalf of The Patriots, urged the President to send an executive bill to the National Assembly proposing two key measures. The first was the convening of a national constituent assembly, which would be responsible for drafting a new people’s democratic constitution. This assembly would be composed of directly elected individuals on a non-political basis, with three representatives from each of the 36 states and one from the Federal Capital Territory.
The second measure proposed by Anyaoku was legislation for a national referendum, which would allow the draft constitution emerging from the constituent assembly to be subjected to a public vote.
In response, President Tinubu expressed his deep respect for The Patriots and their ongoing contributions to national discourse.
The meeting was attended by several prominent members of The Patriots, including former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba, former Minister of Information Labaran Maku, former Senator representing Kaduna Central District Shehu Sani, former Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen, and Human Rights Lawyer Mike Ozekhome, among others.
