Delegates Plot To Defy Presidency

As the National Conference enters its third week, there are indications that delegate may ignore President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive not to discuss issues bothering on the unity of the country.

Some delegates, The Nation gathered, are already evaluating issues they consider to be critical to the continued existence of Nigeria as one nation.

They want such issues to be thoroughly discussed at the conference regardless of government’s position on them.

The Presidency, according to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, had declared that discussions about the oneness of Nigeria   are no-go-areas for the delegates.

Anyim, in unveiling the modalities for the conference had said:  ”The national conference shall tentatively last for three months and shall discuss any material, except the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a nation; thus the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.”

However, sources at the confab said some delegates want to push for the discussion of all issues.

It was also gathered that steps are already being taken to convince more delegates into seeking the discussion of the no- go- areas.

One source said: “I can authoritatively confirm to you that we are talking seriously about ensuring that the conference discusses all issues. There is no way we will come here and miss the opportunity to restructure Nigeria.

“If we do that, we would have failed the people we came here to represent. While it is true that we were told not to discuss the unity of this country, I want to tell you that is one thing we cannot afford to leave un-discussed.

“Nobody is bent on dividing the country but most of us are worried about how we should exist together as a nation. What we are saying is that unless we discuss the unity of this country, we will not be able to agree on how we want to live together.

“It is not okay that we should continue to exist as a country on terms that are obviously not satisfactory to all the parties involved in the union.

“It is because of this that we are now talking together on how to get the confab to set aside that directive and allow for the discussion of all issues without constraints and conditions. It is only when this is done that we can say we have achieved the intentions of a gathering such as this.”

The Nation also gathered that some delegates met at a location in Abuja on Thursday to fine-tune strategies on how to lobby more delegates into the move to set aside the no –go-areas.

A participant at the meeting said it was called by worried delegates to enlighten others on the need for swift action on how to set aside certain inhibitions that are likely to affect the outcome of the entire talk shop negatively.

“I don’t want to agree that it was a secret meeting. This is because it was freely announced and discussed on the floor of the conference same day it was held.

“I, for one, was not secretly invited. It was initiated by respected delegates here at the confab.

“The discussions at the meeting bothered on how to ensure that we maximise the opportunity offered by the confab to satisfy the yearning s of our people.

“It also discussed how to ensure that all issues that are needed to be discussed by a confab as this are tabled and thrashed out.

“We resolved to continue to enlighten more of the delegates on the need to put Nigeria first before any other things. We agreed to reach out across all divides in the quest for thorough deliberation of the Nigerian questions.”

A delegate representing one of the self determination groups at the conference confirmed the moves, said:”It is wrong to say what we are doing by discussing how to ensure the discussion of all issues is a new plot to defy anybody.

“Did we sign any undertaking to come here and be guided by any restriction? Is this not a talk shop meant to fashion ways forward for us as a people and as one nation?

“Please, tell me: how can we move forward in unity if we don’t get answers to the many questions hanging on our nationhood?

“Even before the conference was inaugurated, our people had been saying they wanted all issues discussed. The records are there. All sections of the country canvassed the discussion of all issues.

“The President General of the Ohaneze Ndigbo told the federal government that the organisation wouldn’t be restricted at the conference.

“He declared that they would want all problems to be mentioned and discussed. That’s their position on it. Similarly, the Movement for the Realisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) said it was coming to the conference to table the demand for Biafra State.

“You will also recall that the Odua Peoples Congress leader said each section of the constitution ought to be mentioned”.