Calls for a referendum to birth a truly people-driven Constitution are gaining momentum across Nigeria, with legal experts, regional groups, and civil society accusing political elites of blocking genuine reform.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun, described the absence of a referendum clause in the 1999 Constitution as a grave flaw, while groups like Afenifere, PANDEF, and Yoruba Ronu condemned the National Assembly’s ongoing review as a “rehash” of a military-imposed document.
Critics argue that the current amendment process—controlled by lawmakers and state assemblies—excludes citizens from shaping the nation’s supreme law. Human rights groups, including HURIWA, slammed the legislature as “an appendage of the presidency,” incapable of delivering reforms reflecting public will.
Legal luminaries Mike Ozekhome, Olisa Agbakoba, and others stressed that without popular ratification, constitutional legitimacy remains in doubt. Analysts say the political elite fear a referendum because it would empower citizens to challenge the entrenched system that sustains them.
Many now insist that only a new, people-endorsed constitution—not another amendment—can free Nigeria from decades of elite dominance and military-era relics.
