Professor Auwalu Yadudu, the legal adviser to the late Head of State,General Sani Abacha said over the weekend that contrary to some speculation, the 1999 Constitution as amended gives rooms for possible restructuring of Nigeria.
In a press statement signed by him yesterday, Yadudu, a professor of law at the Bayero University, Kano added that what is not provided for in the 1999 Constitution is ‘’referendum’’ which some people are demanding in the country.
He said, both the constitution and the National Conference 2014 report, otherwise referred to as Confab 2014 report rather advocates resolutions of the National Assembly in the event of embarking on restructuring of the country.
‘’Speaking personally as a lawyer, as opposed to representing the North, l would have no objection to engaging with NASS should it decide to treat the report of the National Conference as an input
towards “restructuring” the Nigerian federal arrangement along the lines contained in the report or even some more fundamental reshaping of the contours and substance of our federal arrangement,Yadudu stated.
He said, ‘’going by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, nothing stops the people of Nigeria from undertaking any form of restructuring of our federation or political, legal, social or economic system.
‘’The 1999 Constitution is the fundamental law which defines the powers of all institutions created under it. Therefore for any form of restructuring to be legitimate it must conform to the procedures and processes enshrined in the constitution.”