[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he “We the People” in the context of the consensus claimed in the Preamble to the 1999 Constitution, simply means “We the Ijaw, we the Ogoni, we the Tiv, we the Igbo, we the Kanuri, we the Yoruba, we the Efik, we the Fulani, we the Itshekiri we the Idoma” etc until the last nationality is listed, because the sentence in that preamble that begins with “We the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, goes to falsely assert as follows:
“…having firmly and solemnly resolved to live together in unity as one indivisible and indissoluble country”.
This assertion presupposes a MEETING and an AGREEMENT between these various peoples, because you cannot “firmly and solemnly resolve” when you have not met at all.
It is this false claim that is at the core of the fraudulence of that Constitution 1999 and all it contains and creates including the very Nigeria itself as one political Union, the 36 States, 774 LGs, the Federal Exclusive List, the Quota system and all the other shenanigans therein.
This falsehood, translates into a forgery in that since the so-called Constitution 1999, puts forward, the signature of the entrapped ethnic nationalities, as the making and enacting their own damnation, because that Preamble paragraph had gone on to conclude with the phrase “…Do hereby Make, Enact and Give to ourselves the following Constitution”.
Those who by decree, imposed that Constitution, but went on to claim the “We the People” did, are very clear-headed in their intent at deceit when the enabling Decree 24 of 1999 (printed into that dubious ‘Constitution 1999), instructs the Federal Government Printer, to omit all references to that Decree (which narrates step by step how the Decree No 24 tagged ‘Constitution 1999 was derived), in the subsequent editions that it would print. That is a clear pointer to the motive of deceit because such an edition (which was actually produced) leaves only the falsehood of “We the People” standing alone, unchallenged by anything showing what really transpired.
In there hurry to get home with their humongous loot, the Abdusalam Junta committed the grave irreversible error of releasing into the public domain both editions, thereby rendering the entire exercise a illicit, illegitimate and fundamentally, irreparably flawed.
The suit instituted in 2007 to shoot down the fraudulent Constitution, placed these two edition before the Federal High Court, praying that court to assert the truth represented by the mutual exclusivity of the two editions, being that “We the People” neither met, nor agreed upon the so-called “Constitution” since the account of the author, Abdusalam Abubakar as to how he came about his Decree 24 is the bearing all the witness needed, right inside the Gazetted Edition of the 1999 Constitution. The plaintiffs then prayed the Court for Consequential Orders that would produce a negotiated replacement and transitioning to emplace same.
As the lawyer and the lead counsel), who filed that suit, I can report authoritatively that Nigeria has to date, (October 2016), not found any viable answers to that lethal and in fact, fatal challenge to the sole instrument convening and defining the Nigerian Union.
It follows that the Union of Nigeria has been, and remains in technical dissolution since that challenge in 2007, no matter what the courts do, since it is starkly self-evident that “We the People”, neither made nor approved that (or any) Constitution to bind ourselves into the so-called “Nigerian Federation”.
It has been impositions, conquest, occupation and force. There must be an end to evil.
The entrapped nationalities are in consensus, to dismantle the failed Lugardian experiment so that new protocols can be distilled amongst and between compatible and consenting blocs, post-Nigeria. Referendums, plebiscites are the tools to be deployed in validating these new protocols within the overriding self-determination rights of the constituent nationalities.
Let those who share the proceeds of the crime Nigeria currently represents, go ahead and celebrate their loot one more season. This should be the very last such celebration of heist.
Tony Nnadi is a leader of the Lower Niger Congress, an organisation that advocates for a UN supervised referendum to decide the structure of Nigeria. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.