— Demands Sovereign National Conference
Sequel to the public hearings organized by the National Assembly in respect of the proposed constitution amendment aimed at fast tracking the creation of additional states in the country, the Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) the umbrella body of all Town Unions in Igbo land has outrightly rejected the proposed creation of more states in the country, but rather advocated the convocation of a sovereign national conference.
The group, in a release signed by its National President, Chief Emeka Diwe said, “The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU), the voice of grassroots governance in Igboland, has followed closely the recent public hearings on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution organized by the National Assembly across the country. While we acknowledge the right of Nigerians to seek a better framework for national coexistence, we must, however, state unequivocally that the foundation upon which these efforts are being made is fundamentally flawed. The 1999 Constitution is not a people’s document. It is, in every respect, a legal fraud foisted on us by a departing military junta in 1998, without the consent, consultation, or participation of the Nigerian people. Any attempt to amend this document without first addressing its legitimacy is akin to building a house on sinking sand”.
The group in the release dated July 29 2025, and made available to the press also faulted the opening declaration in the 1999 constitution which claims that, “it was enacted by the people adding that Nigerians did not at any debate, review or adopt the constitution they inherited on May 29, 1999 was an imposition: a product of military fiat drafted by a small committee handpicked by an authoritarian regime. This unconstitutional foundation makes every amendment, no matter how noble, a patchwork on an illegitimate document. What Nigeria needs is not another round of constitutional amendments, but a genuine Sovereign National Conference where ethnic nationalities can freely deliberate and agree on the basis of their union.”
According to ASITU, “a constitution in a civilized democratic society emerges from the people after extensive deliberations and not the will of rulers. It is the codification of a people’s collective decision on how they wish to live together, be governed, and relate with one another. This is how it works in true federal systems like the United States, where the Constitution was the outcome of the 1787 Philadelphia Convention; an assembly of delegates from the original thirteen colonies, who freely debated and ratified their union. Likewise, in Switzerland, a multi-ethnic nation, the constitution was the result of negotiated agreements that allowed the cantons; each with unique languages, religions, and cultures, to coexist peacefully. These are examples Nigeria must study.
Sadly, instead of embracing this path of popular sovereignty and negotiated union, what we now see is a misplaced enthusiasm for the creation of more states. The clamour for over thirty new states, as revealed during the public hearings, is deeply troubling. It betrays a failure to understand the true roots of Nigeria’s crisis. With over 36 states already in existence, and fewer than three of them economically viable without the monthly allocations from the Federation Account, the pursuit of additional states is akin to multiplying liabilities under a broken system. More states will not bring development; instead, they will deepen our fiscal distress and bureaucratic inefficiencies.”
