Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje says no part of the country has the right to secede under the current 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Ganduje said this on Thursday at a public lecture in Abuja.
He said that it was better to discuss restructuring than seeking secession or self-determination, such as the one being clamoured by some sections of the country.
“We are too fused, in fact too entropic together to be divided at this time. Let’s repair our broken walls instead and move on,”Ganduje said.
“Let’s debate restructuring, not secession or self-determination. It is too late in the day. Let the labour of our heroes’ past not be in vain! Let’s hail, not hate Nigeria at this time.
“Let me repeat here that Nigeria is a united and indivisible country. Our constitution has taken care of that. I don’t see secession as the way out of the current challenges afflicting the nation.
“Instead, advocates of secession should have a change of heart and I recommend dialogue as a crucial option for addressing their problems.
“Besides, there is a National Assembly where some of the grievances can be addressed. Because dialogue is a far better alternative that costs less than consequences of the wedge that has been erected to frustrate more flow of conversations between the government and citizens to arrive at a national consensus.
Ganduje added that “under the Nigerian Constitution, no part of Nigeria has the power to form its own independent government or secede from the country. In fact, the word ‘secede’ does not appear in the Constitution.
“The nearest answer to this is found in Article 2 of the constitution, which states that Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known by the name of the ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria.’
“This means the only way to legally grant such an option is through an amendment to the law. Agitators would be required to follow established guidelines, while protecting the sovereignty of the nation-state,” he said.
