By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Pro-democracy group, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), yesterday congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his election, with a call for a constitutional review that will take the country to the Independence/Republican constitution
The group, in a statement, also urged that while it was celebrating the emergence of Tinubu as Nigeria’s president, there is a need to consider the democratic rights of other opponents who ran the same race as Nigeria’s latest leader.
In a statement by NADECO’s general secretary and spokesman, Ayo Opadokun, the coalition which played a prominent role in the return of the nation to the path of democracy after long years of military rule, entitled, ‘Congratulations on Your Inauguration as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, the coalition welcomed Tinubu to office.
The statement said in parts, “The NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC COALITION, NADECO hereby formally congratulates you as you took the Oath of Office, sworn in, and assumed office as the President of Nigeria.
“This is without prejudice to the democratic rights of your opponents who are contesting your victory at the election tribunal.”
The coalition said it was gratified that “one of its most prominent leaders who, in fact, contributed significantly to the titanic democratic struggle and campaign that the organisation had to embark upon on behalf of Nigerians to restore democracy to Nigeria has by divine destiny become the elected president of the country of our birth.”
It added, “We like to remind you of the most important demand of our common and just struggle which was centred on the imperative necessity to return Nigeria to a Federal Constitutional Governance upon which we secured our independence.
“Nigeria remains a country, not a nation till date because the military had without Nigerians’ democratic approval, truncated, illegally suspended, abrogated and replaced our negotiated independent constitution and replaced it with Unitary Constitution till date.”
Calling for constitutional reforms, the pro-democracy group noted, “The deceptively choreographed 1979 and 1999 Constitutions which preserved all the grave damages which successive military governments have forcefully imposed upon Nigeria remain the bane of Nigeria’s backwardness, stunted growth and unacceptable level of poverty.
“NADECO is more than convinced that a return to the Independence/Republican Constitution will restore a responsive and responsible government in the minimum as we grapple with the business of reconstructing our country which was successively overran/damaged for the narrow personal interests of politicians in military uniform since January 15, 1966.
“All the many aberrations-political, legal, and structural which the different military dictators whimsically imposed on Nigeria can then be strategically corrected over time.
Noting that Tinubu is a comrade-at-arms, the coalition stated, “You were part of the Patriots who suffered deprivations, dehumanisation, and hounding along with us as we spoke truth to the powers that forced themselves on us.
“Fortunately, your own party established the Governor el-Rufai Committee which recommended that the APC government should immediately fulfill its promise to return Nigeria to a Federal Constitutional Governance as contained in your manifesto.”
According to NADECO, “All that we are requesting you to do is to use your good auspices and commit yourself to be faithful to the promise upon which your party was elected into office.
The coalition stressed that, on behalf of the silent majority of Nigerians, it expects the president to make Nigeria respond to her manifest destiny of providing leadership to the black race “which is looking up towards us to take our rightful place in the global diplomatic leadership in order to prove that black civilisation is consequential and important as the others for the growth and advancement of humanity.”
NADECO prayed that the good Lord will grant Tinubu robust health, empathy and divine wisdom, to provide unprecedented productive and impactive leadership “which will in quick time enhance the standard and quality of lives of our people who have endured unbelievable economic deprivation, neglect and poverty in a country like Nigeria with the abundant human and material endowment and resources.”
