New Constitution Looms as Summit Demands End to 1999 Charter

This bold declaration came at the end of a two-day National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, from 16th to 17th July 2025, and led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, GCON, former Commonwealth Secretary-General.

The high-powered summit, convened by The Patriots and the Nigerian Political Summit Group (NPSG), drew delegates from across the political spectrum—diaspora leaders, royal fathers, women, youth groups, academia, traditional rulers, civil society, and persons with special needs.

The 1999 Constitution: “Military Imposition, Democratic Illusion”

At the heart of the summit’s communique is a central thesis: Nigeria’s current constitutional order lacks legitimacy, having been imposed by the military without popular consent. Delegates agreed that its structural and ideological flaws have hollowed out governance, fuelled insecurity, bred corruption, and triggered mass disenchantment among citizens.

“The current Constitution has become the architecture of dysfunction,” the communique stated. “It has centralised power excessively, weakened federalism, and entrenched a culture of impunity.”

22 Resolutions to Rebuild the Republic

In its final communique, the Summit proposed 22 core resolutions to rescue Nigeria’s democracy and constitutional framework. Among the boldest:

Adoption of a new people’s Constitution, birthed through a Constituent Assembly and approved via national referendum.

True federalism with full devolution of powers to federating units, alongside state constitutions.

A single-chamber National Assembly to curb excessive governance costs.

State police and a community-based border security system to address pervasive insecurity.

Single-day general elections, electronic result transmission, and mandatory BVAS for credibility.

Legal provision for independent candidacy and automatic loss of seat for party defectors.

Robust fiscal federalism and natural resource control by regions.

A secular state commitment, with emphasis on religious neutrality of state institutions.

Gender equity, youth inclusion, and diaspora voting rights entrenched in the new constitutional order.

The summit also demanded an end to the merger of Attorney General and Minister of Justice, creation of special courts for corruption and electoral matters, and a national rotation policy in the appointment of heads of security agencies.

Structural Collapse, Economic Crisis, and the Call for Urgency

Citing statistics from the UN, World Bank, and Nigeria’s own National Bureau of Statistics, the summit painted a dire portrait of national collapse: over 130 million Nigerians in poverty, over 20 million out-of-school children, and more than 600,000 deaths from insecurity within one year alone.

Delegates warned that without a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s constitutional foundation, the nation risks further decline into lawlessness, economic paralysis, and irreversible disunity.

The communique also accused the present system of enabling institutionalised corruption and elite capture of power, driven by an unaccountable presidential system and an expensive federal structure.

“Nigeria Is at the Brink; We Must Rebuild Now”

In his closing remarks, Chief Emeka Anyaoku declared:

“Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We either embrace a new people’s Constitution rooted in equity and federal justice, or we watch the republic crumble under the weight of an expired order.”

The summit concluded with a rallying call to the Nigerian people, the National Assembly, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to embrace this constitutional reset. Delegates called for immediate legislative action to inaugurate a Constituent Assembly, echoing a growing national demand for structural justice.

This event may prove to be the tipping point for Nigeria’s overdue constitutional rebirth.