Northern delegates unserious —Ozekhome

Constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), in this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI, speaks on the Northern delegates posture on the 2014 national conference report.

THE Northern delegates to the 2014 National Conference recently disowned the final report of the confab because of the lopsided representation against the North. They said that the status quo must subsist, as any attempt to restructure would lead to chaos and anarchy.  What is your reaction these positions?

The northern delegates can’t be serious; they can’t approbate and reprobate. They chaired most of the committees that took the over 600 far-reaching decisions arrived at by the conference plenary after months of committee works. They are simply afraid of restructuring from the present lopsided unitary system of government that favours them. They cannot be serious talking about lopsided representation, an issue that was conclusively trashed out at the preliminary stages of the conference, the final report of which they all signed. The chairman was a northerner. Some of the most emotive and critical committees were headed by them.

But they said the delegates to the confab were unelected and that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government could not implement the report of a conference of unelected delegates, coupled with the fact that APC boycotted the confab.

That the delegates were not elected is a non sequitur. When did they suddenly realise this? That issue was also fully trashed out at the preliminary stages. Were they forced to be at the conference for over five months, drawing sitting allowances? So, a conference that drew the crème-de-la-crème of the Nigerian society from the 36 states, FCT and six geo-political zones, chaired by respected retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, with the Deputy Chairman as renowned Professor Bolaji Akinyemi and Secretary as Valerie Azinge (SAN) was not distinguished and representative enough? So, a conference that had  (not necessarily in order of importance) the like of Ibrahim Coomasie, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, Emir Sulu Gambari, Shehu of Bornu, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Kumalia, Nasir, former president of the Court of Appeal, Odili, Wabara, Nnamani, King Diette-Spiff, King Dakouru, Chief Richard Akinjide,Adebanjo, Ajayi, Peterside, Bode George, Agbakoba, Ozekhome, Falana,Olajide, royal fathers, labour, professionals, women, youth, media, civil society, physically-challenged, academics, retired service chiefs, diplomatic corps and so on was not representative enough?