Jonathan Plans Sovereign National Conference, Sends Letter to NASS

Will this in anyway reduce the tension being generated by our politician? Time will tel. 

President Goodluck Jonathan has
concluded plans to organize a
Sovereign National Conference,
Sunday Trust learnt in Abuja at
the weekend.
Top government officials who
spoke on condition anonymity
said the Federal government has
already gone far with the
preparation and planning of the
SNC where all ethnic groups in
the country will nominate their
delegates to the confab.
Sources in the National Assembly
said Jonathan had requested
both Senate President David
Mark, and Speaker of the House
of Representatives, Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal, to nominate two
senators and two House
members to represent the
Federal legislature in the SNC.
However, the source said, Mark
and Tambuwal both turned
down the request to nominate
MPs to the conference insisting
that, the National Assembly will
not be a party to it.
“I can confirm to you that both
Senate president and the Speaker
have received request from Mr.
President to nominate two
members from each of the
chamber to be delegates to the
SNC. But they have turned down
the request because we believe it
is illegal and it was an attempt to
give it a legal coloration when
lawmakers are part of it,” a
principal officer said.
“Our understanding is that, the
government is desperate in its
attempt to Balkanize Nigeria by
insisting on the SNC and we
won’t be here as true
representatives of the Nigerian
people and allow it happen,” the
legislator said.
Speaking at the commencement
of the Senate’s third legislative
session on Tuesday, Senator
Mark said, a conference of
Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities
called to foster frank and open
discussions of the national
question can “certainly find
accommodation in the extant
provisions of the 1999
constitution which guarantee
freedom of expression and
association.”
“I hasten to add that it would be
unconstitutional to clothe such a
conference with sovereign
powers,” Mark said.
The senate president maintained
that the National Assembly,
consisting of the elected
representatives of the Nigerian
people cannot be ignored and
that “to circumvent the
constitution and its provisions
on how to amend it and repose
sovereignty in an unpredictable
mass will be too risky and a
gamble and may ultimately do
great disservice to the idea of
one Nigeria.”
Mark further argued that, such a
conference whether sovereign or
not is not a magic wand and that
the heights attained by great
nations were not made by

sudden flights.

Source:Dailytrust