By Chukwudi Nweje
Nigerian Indigenous National Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS) has said a referendum to discuss the future of Nigeria should precede any talk of constitution amendment or the 2023 general elections.
Its chairman, Prof. Banji Akintoye, stated this in Lagos, yesterday, at a press conference with the theme: ‘Taking Back our Sovereignty’ held physically and virtually in Lagos, where he described the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as inimical to the growth and development of the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria.
“There must be a referendum first to decide if we want Nigeria, then, we can talk about a new constitution before 2023 general elections. The 1999 Constitution is an agent of slavery and fraud, a tool for promoting injustice, underdevelopment and impunity in the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria. “Nigeria under the current 1999 Constitution is now a danger to global peace and security as the country could snap and cause an unprecedented global refugee crisis in which Nigeria’s 200million citizens would be seeking escape from death.”
Akintoye accused political parties of being collaborators in the enslavement of Nigerians saying the best way to liberate citizens from bondage is to get political parties to refuse to field candidates in 2023.
“All political parties in Nigeria subscribe to the evil 1999 Constitution and so whichever party wins any election will swear to uphold and defend the 1999 Constitution. It follows that political parties are solely responsible for leading the rest of us to the self-damnation of renewing the life of that 1999 constitution every four years.
“The political parties have in this regard become the Judas Goat that routinely leads us all to slaughter. The key to taking down the 1999 Constitution is immediately halting the political parties from dragging us to another round of national elections in 2023. This is not a call to boycott the 2023 elections, but to halt the preparations for 2023 inside 2021. Political parties must now be persuaded to close shop forthwith.”
A statement by Secretary of the group, Tony Nnadi on behalf of Akintoye, also urged southern, Middle Belt nationalities in the United States, Canada and Europe to join them at the September 14 to 21 one-million-man march in New York during the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
