Tinubu, Akande, Osoba chickened out in 1999, failed Nigerians – Adebanjo

Elder stateman and Afenifere chieftain, Pa Ayo Adebanjo says President Bola Tinubu and his colleagues who were South-West governors when Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 failed Nigerians because they were too frightened to insist on a people’s constitution when they had the opportunity to do so.

The nonagenarian was a guest on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande which was aired on Channels Television on Friday.

Adebanjo said having failed to insist on federalism as Lagos State governor in 1999, Tinubu now has the opportunity to rewrite the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria now that he is in office as the Commander-in-Chief of the Federation.

Adebanjo said Tinubu, who was Lagos State governor from May 1999 to May 2007, was among the six governors of the South-West who “chickened out” from demanding a Sovereign National Conference after the then military Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, decided to return the country to democracy after the death of ex-military dictator Sani Abacha.

The elder statesman said Tinubu now has an opportunity to rewrite the mistakes of the past by ensuring that Nigerians decide on a constitution they agree to govern their co-existence as against what he described as the “military-imposed constitution” still operational in the country, even 24 years after.

He said a brand-new people’s constitution will end some of the existential problems in the country, especially the menace of insecurity as a people’s constitution will make room for state police.

Speaking in retrospect, the retired lawyer said, “There was a clamour for a Sovereign National Conference at that time (in the buildup to the 1999 election). The military said they were going back to the barracks and we said, ‘Well, go back to the barracks with your constitution; it’s your baggage and return us to where you met us. If you are not going to do that, schedule another conference and we will agree on how to live together’.”

He said the Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere refused to take part in any deliberations with the Abdulsalami Abubakar regime but later agreed to take part in the 1999 election after getting assurances that there will be a Sovereign National Conference thereafter. “So, we contested that election on protest,” he said.

Adebanjo said, “This is why I disagreed with Ex-Governors (Bisi) Akande and (Segun) Osoba. When we were campaigning for them to be governors, it was on the heels of federalism, and Sovereign National Conference.

“We insisted that the constitution must be changed. So, when we (Alliance for Democracy) came in, we got the mandate of the people; we won the election in the whole of the Western Region, we told all our governors including Bola Tinubu not to go to Abuja until the Federal Government changed the constitution but they chickened out; they were involved in the paraphernalia of office… that is the beginning of the struggle of Nigeria.”

According to him, all the six state assemblies in the South-West at that time passed a resolution for a Sovereign National Conference but “all our governors disappointed us”.

Adebanjo said, “If the Western Region didn’t take part in any of the activities in Abuja, the Eastern Region will follow us and we will all be forced to come back to the table again.

“They (South-West governors) chickened out, they sold the Nigerian people, they disappointed us. And that is why I said the wrong at that time, Bola Tinubu is in a position to rewrite it now by changing the constitution now to what we wanted it to be. And it is not a long thing to do; take the 2014 National Conference Report, take the (ex-Governor Nasir) El-Rufai Constitution Recommendation of the APC, set up a committee to reconcile the recommendations and we will move on.”

Though some governors have already created state-owned security outfits like Amotekun in the South-West, Ebube Agu in the South-West, Benue Guards in Benue State, amongst others, these outfits have been limited operationally as they are not recognised by the 1999 constitution and so have no license to bear assault rifles like AK-47 to confront bloodthirsty marauders.

Mid-February, with kidnapping and banditry taking an ubiquitous dimension all over the country, the President and the 36 state governors met in Abuja and considered the creation of state police but not much progress has been made on it.

“We are now talking of insecurity, kidnapping, how can insecurity be solved when those fighting it are in Abuja? It is not possible. All the governors have been clamouring for state police, for the policing system to be localised…When security is localised, they will take care of their people,” Adebanjo asserted.

“We copied our federalism from Britain and the United States but have you heard of the Inspector General of Police in America? All you have is the Cosmopolitan Police”.

He said described as “arrant nonsense”, the defence put up by opponents of state police that governors would abuse state police. “The constitution says that governors are chief security officers of their states but you deprive them of the role,” he said.

Adebanjo said Nigerians are tired of empty promises and reassurances. “We are tired, we want double action. Until we go back to agree on conditions for us to live together, we will never get peace,” he submitted.