Nigerialog.com Latest News

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday said the report of Justice Muhammad Uwais-led Electoral Review Committee is central to the work of the National Assembly Joint Committee for Constitution Review (JCCR).
Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the JCCR, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was quoted on Monday as saying that there is nothing sacrosanct about the report of the Uwais Panel.
But CNPP, a coalition of opposition political parties, noted in a statement that contrary to the position of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment, the Uwais report is indeed sacrosanct and central to the work of the National Assembly in its bid to amend the 1999 Constitution.
The CNPP said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, that the "report is sacrosanct in form, origin, spirit and letters, as per any genuine move to construct an electoral reform aimed at bequeathing a legacy of sanctity of the ballot box to Nigeria.”
The group said, "without prejudice to other relevant items that require constitution amendment like restructuring of the federation, states creation, it will be better to embark on electoral amendment as the first Amendment.”
It suggested that Nigeria borrows a leaf from the US, which in the over 200 years of its democracy, had most of the time amended one item after the other.
The group reminded the JCCR and National Assembly that the Uwais Report is the fulfilment of the pledge made to Nigerians by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua during his inauguration.
"It will be a great disservice to our fatherland for the Senate or the National Assembly to forget that the Uwais report followed religiously the granite terms of reference submitted by President Umaru Yar’Adua, whose outcome was collation of subsisting national consensus and the peoples' voice that gave birth to the sacrosanct report" it said.
CNPP warned the National Assembly not to fail to use this unique opportunity to restore Nigeria’s democracy, which is dangerously sliding into one party state dictatorship characterised by “Do-or-Die electoral process.”


		Thursday 3/9/ 2009
		Constitution Amendment: Uwais Report Sacrosanct, Says CNPP
		Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday said the report of Justice Muhammad Uwais-led Electoral Review Committee is central to the work of the National Assembly Joint Committee for Constitution Review (JCCR). Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the JCCR, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was quoted on Monday as saying that there is nothing sacrosanct about the report of the Uwais Panel. But CNPP, a coalition of opposition political parties, noted in a statement that contrary to the position of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendment, the Uwais report is indeed sacrosanct and central to the work of the National Assembly in its bid to amend the 1999 Constitution. The CNPP said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, that the "report is sacrosanct in form, origin, spirit and letters, as per any genuine move to construct an electoral reform aimed at bequeathing a legacy of sanctity of the ballot box to Nigeria.” The group said, "without prejudice to other relevant items that require constitution amendment like restructuring of the federation, states creation, it will be better to embark on electoral amendment as the first Amendment.” It suggested that Nigeria borrows a leaf from the US, which in the over 200 years of its democracy, had most of the time amended one item after the other. The group reminded the JCCR and National Assembly that the Uwais Report is the fulfilment of the pledge made to Nigerians by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua during his inauguration. "It will be a great disservice to our fatherland for the Senate or the National Assembly to forget that the Uwais report followed religiously the granite terms of reference submitted by President Umaru Yar’Adua, whose outcome was collation of subsisting national consensus and the peoples' voice that gave birth to the sacrosanct report" it said. CNPP warned the National Assembly not to fail to use this unique opportunity to restore Nigeria’s democracy, which is dangerously sliding into one party state dictatorship characterised by “Do-or-Die electoral process.”