The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), on Tuesday advised elder statesman, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, to present his views on the floor of the proposed constitutional conference, instead of “smuggling” it in.
The forum stated this in a communique issued in Kaduna at the end of its National Working Committee meeting, chaired by Alhaji Aliko Mohammed.
It noted that latest activities of Nwabueze were capable of casting doubts on President Goodluck Jonathan’s sincerity in convening the conference.
“It may tend to suggest that the presidency is acting the professor’s script, considering the fact that he has been hankering for Sovereign National Conference for quite some times.”
The ACF warned against any attempt to allow Nwabueze and his group to hijack the dialogue process.
“Nwabueze, like every Nigerian, still has the opportunity to articulate and propose his points of view on the floor of the Conference instead of attempting to smuggle in his proposal.”
The forum questioned the credentials of the elder statesman, noting that having served under military regimes before, he lacked the moral right to question a constitution drafted by them.
“Prof. Ben Nwabueze, who served a government put in place by a military regime cannot reasonably and morally question the legitimacy of the 1999 Constitution simply because the framers worked under the watch of a military regime.
“Furthermore, the pedigree of Prof. Nwabueze does not include nationalistic struggle for Nigeria’s independence, having spent most of his productive life outside the country.”
The ACF advised the presidency not to allow the process of the proposed dialogue to be scuttled by the selfish tendencies of a few Nigerians.
