Constitution amendment: Northern senators in fresh plot against South

Taiwo Adisa, Abuja - 30.06.2009

The Northern Senators’ Forum (NSF) has begun moves against claims of marginalisation and what has been described as the Southern agenda in the planned constitution amendment exercise.

The Senate, last week, commenced the consideration of the constitution amendment bill sent to the lawmakers by President Umaru Yar’Adua, with lawmakers hopeful of a new window for the constitution amendment efforts of the National Assembly.

An attempt by the two chambers of the Assembly to jointly review the constitution hit the rocks following disagreements by the Senate and the House of Representatives over the headship of the Joint Committee on Constitution Review (JCCR).

But a fresh window of opportunity for the constitution amendment has been provided by the president’s bill, which is seeking the amendment of 19 sections in the 1999 Constitution.

Members of the Southern Senators Forum (SSF), however, met last week to prepare an agenda ahead of the final consideration of the president’s bill.

It was learnt that one of the decisions of the Southern senators is to push for the inclusion of all issues critical to the survival of the nation in the amendment rather than the issues raised by the president.

Some of the issues considered critical by the SSF, but which were omitted by Yar’Adua in the bill included, state creation, local government administration, resource control, first line charge for the legislature and power rotation at all levels of government.

The SF had resolved to insist on the inclusion of these items on the agenda of the constitution amendment to ensure that the yearnings of the people in their areas are met.