Professor Ben Nwabueze, respected constitutional lawyer led members of the Patriots to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, to press for convocation of a Sovereign National Conference that will produce the peoples’ constitution.
He led other members including, Ayo Adebanjo, Solomon Asemota, Chris Okoye, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, Dan Suleiman, Prof. Kimse Okoko and Michael Orobator.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, the renowned lawyer, said he stood by his earlier call on the President to pursue the transformation agenda to a logical conclusion and forget about 2015.
Stressing that it was his personal view, the former Minister said if he were to be President Jonathan, he would choose to be a hero by not running in 2015, adding that it is the only way he would concentrate on governance.
He spoke further on this “I still believe that the amount of problem of this country is national transformation; that you cannot combine national transformation with contesting election.
“The two are so different, because once you get involved in the election campaigns; you undermine your authority to lead the nation for national transformation and I said if I were the President of Nigeria, I would restrict myself in serving the nation.
“In transforming this country, in creating a new Nigeria and in creating a new society that would be my concern and it would go down in history as a hero. So if Mr. President does that, he would become hero of this country.
“But it is for him to chose, but if I were him, I would choose to become a hero, to lead the country into transformation and abandon the ambition of a second term. That is what I said and I still stand by it. That is what I would do if I were the President of the country. But unfortunately, I’m not.”
The legal luminary however, hastened to add that the eligibility of the President to run for a second term is not in doubt, stressing “nobody is questioning his eligibility; the President is eligible but whether he would contest or not is a personal decision for him to take”.
In the memorandum presented to President Jonathan, the Patriots had urged him to support the production of a new constitution that truly derives its authority directly from the people of Nigeria.
“I complement you for your initiative of introducing a transformation agenda. It is what Nigeria needs. Above all things, we need to transform this country.
“It is a great credit to you that you recognize this. We congratulate Your Excellency for recognizing the need for national transformation and moving Nigeria in that direction,” Prof. Nwabueze told the President, adding that the need for national transformation was the main reason for the Patriots’ continuing calls for a national conference.
Responding, President Jonathan told the delegation that his administration had no objection to Nigerians coming together to discuss how they will continue to live together in peace and unity.
The President told the group that there has been constant discussion within government on how to create an acceptable and workable platform for a national dialogue that will reinforce the ties that bind the country’s many ethnic nationalities and ensure that Nigeria’s immense diversity continues to be a source of strength and greatness.
“The limitation we have is that the constitution appears to have given that responsibility to the National Assembly. I have also been discussing the matter with the leadership of the National Assembly. We want a situation where everyone will key into the process and agree on the way forward,” President Jonathan said.
He thanked the Patriots for acknowledging the Federal Government’s efforts to implement his administration’s agenda for national transformation.
