As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, elder statesmen under the platform of the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to initiate the drafting of a new constitution, insisting that the 1999 Constitution has failed the test of legitimacy.

In an open letter to the President titled “Mr President, What Legacy Would You Leave Behind?”, the group argued that conducting another election under the existing constitution would amount to what it described as “validating illegitimacy every four years.”

The letter was signed by the forum’s chairman and former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Samuel Danjuma Gani, alongside other prominent members of the group.

According to the elders, the 1999 Constitution was neither negotiated by Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities nor produced through a constituent assembly, rendering its opening claim of “We the people” fraudulent.

“The 1999 Constitution lacks legitimacy and should be decommissioned immediately. Nigeria should stop validating an illegitimacy every four years,” the forum stated.

The group further urged President Tinubu to convene a national conference of ethnic nationalities to renegotiate Nigeria’s political foundation and produce a new constitution before the 2027 elections.

The NCEF also made a controversial call for northern states to dismantle Sharia criminal law systems and revert to the Penal Code, arguing that Nigeria’s persistent insecurity and instability stem from what it described as a conflict between democratic governance and Sharia ideology.

“The root cause of the crisis in Nigeria is the conflict between democracy and Sharia ideologies. The Muslim North should revert to the Penal Code approved by the Sardauna and dismantle Sharia criminal law,” the elders said.

They maintained that Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state and warned that operating parallel legal systems for the same country had created deep national contradictions.

The forum accused successive governments of allowing religion to dominate governance, alleging that religious bias had contributed to violence, particularly against Christian communities in parts of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.

“As Christian elders, we appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rise above personal ambition and think about the legacy he would leave behind. This is a season that calls for sacrificial leadership,” the group said.

They argued that the current national distress presents President Tinubu with an opportunity to distinguish himself as a statesman by initiating reforms that would endure beyond his tenure.

“It is leaders who make sacrifices that posterity honours. History etches in gold the names of those who make a difference for good in their generation,” the letter added.

The NCEF concluded that Nigeria should not conduct another election under a constitution that does not reflect the collective agreement of its people, insisting that only a people-driven constitution could resolve the country’s longstanding political and social crises. (AriseNews TV)

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