Insecurity: APGA chieftain advocates national dialogue

Okolie, who is seeking the ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the upcoming November governorship poll, made the call in a statement in Awka on Friday.

He said dialogue remained a veritable tool to finding a lasting solution to challenges plaguing the nation.

Okolie said Nigerians should consider the 1963 Constitution as it had been widely canvassed or create a new one which would address contemporary issues straining the nation’s unity and security.

He said it had become imperative for Nigerians to have a roundtable and talk on how they wished to live as one united people with a common destiny.

According to him, it is only when Nigerians meet under one roof and discuss issues confronting the nation that solutions can be found.

“Every part of the country should participate in a national conference, religious leaders, private sector players and other stakeholders should be part of it.

“I expect the managers of the country to convene such a national dialogue without further delay.

“In the same vein, time has come for us to get together and come up with a constitution that is acceptable to all because most of the challenges we are facing as a nation today have their roots in the 1999 Constitution forced on us by the military.

“That constitution has been widely condemned for being faulty and fraudulent, as a matter of national priority, we should revert to the 1963 Constitution while waiting for a new one,” he said.

Okolie said the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution was a good move but was being done on a document which most people did not believe in.

He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation in a manner a father would do to his children and address the myriad of challenges facing the country including killings, banditry, insurgency and secessionist threats.

“I am not talking about the constitution review going on in the country at the moment, that effort will not resolve the challenges.

“We don’t need a constitution which is contracted to a law firm to draft. We need a constitution that will effectively take care of the peculiarities of the diversities of the nation.

“The issue of restructuring Nigeria should be considered, it is obvious to all and sundry that the present arrangement is not working, we cannot be doing things the same way and expect a different result,” he said.