As preparations begin for the 2027 general elections, prominent elder statesmen under the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to initiate the process of drafting a new constitution, insisting that the 1999 Constitution lacks legitimacy.
In an open letter titled “Mr President, What Legacy Would You Leave Behind?”, the forum warned that conducting another election under the current constitution would amount to “validating illegitimacy every four years.”
The letter was signed by the forum’s chairman and former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Samuel Danjuma Gani, alongside other notable members.
According to the group, the 1999 Constitution was neither negotiated by Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities nor produced through a constituent assembly, making its claim of “We the people” misleading and unrepresentative.
“The 1999 Constitution lacks legitimacy and should be decommissioned immediately. Nigeria must stop validating illegitimacy every four years,” the elders stated.
The forum called on President Tinubu to convene a national conference of ethnic nationalities to renegotiate the country’s political foundation and produce a people-driven constitution before the 2027 elections.
In a controversial recommendation, the NCEF also urged northern states to dismantle Sharia criminal law systems and revert to the Penal Code, arguing that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity is rooted in what it described as a clash between democratic governance and Sharia ideology.
“The crisis confronting Nigeria stems from the conflict between democracy and Sharia ideologies. The Muslim North should revert to the Penal Code approved by the Sardauna and dismantle Sharia criminal law,” the group said.
The elders maintained that Nigeria is constitutionally a secular state and warned that operating parallel legal systems has deepened national contradictions and instability.
They further accused successive governments of allowing religious considerations to dominate governance, alleging that religious bias has contributed to violence, particularly against Christian communities in parts of northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt.
Appealing directly to the President, the forum urged him to rise above personal ambition and embrace what it described as sacrificial leadership.
“This is a defining moment that calls for selfless leadership. It is leaders who make sacrifices that posterity honours,” the letter stated.
The NCEF concluded that Nigeria should not conduct another general election under a constitution that does not reflect the collective will of its people, arguing that only a genuinely negotiated constitution can address the nation’s long-standing political and social challenges.
