Chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Buba Galadima, has said that Nigeria does not need to review its constitution.
He recently revealed that there is nothing wrong with the constitution, and our attitude towards it is the main problem.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, Galadima stated that while the constitution clearly separated the powers of the judiciary, legislature and executive, all three powers are still in the hands of one person.
According to him, some politicians have decided to abdicate their responsibility to others, and our current sad reality is two arms of the government becoming servants of the executive.
“Do we need to review the Nigerian constitution? What we need to review is our attitude. There is no need to amend the constitution. What we should amend is our attitude towards operating this constitution. There is no separation of powers, as you know now.
The judiciary, legislature and executive are in the hands of one person. And this is not because the constitution did not provide for the separation of powers, but because some people have abdicated their responsibility. The two arms of government became servants of the executive. That is our problem,” he said.
He further noted that the creation of state police would immediately destroy democracy in Nigeria, stressing that the National Assembly should never let it happen.
Galadima concluded by saying that the creation of more states would also lead to an additional waste of crucial funds from the budget.
“It is an attitudinal change. For the last 45 years, I fought against the idea of state police. Please, I beg Nigerians and I beg members of this National Assembly, including state assemblies, that they should never, in any circumstance, allow the creation of state police. It may be convenient for us now, but we will cry when it becomes a constitutional matter, which we cannot do away with in a simple manner.
It will destroy democracy. As you see now, what some of those elected are doing with us, if they have the instrument of state police, the democracy we cherish is going to the winds. Throughout my time in the Constituent Assembly in 1987, Constitutional Conference in 1994 and Goodluck Jonathan’s National Conference of 2014, I have fought relentlessly against the creation of state police.
On creation of states, do we need more states? If the legislature is only looking for money to spend from the budget, let them take the money and share. Let them leave us as we are, and let them pray and use the National Orientation Agency to change our attitude towards governance. It would be better than tampering with the Constitution,” he added.
