The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to liaise with the National Judicial Council, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the Law Reform Commission to constitute a Law Review Committee to withdraw the copies of the different versions of the Constitution in circulation.This movies with a view to also authorizing the printing and distribution of the authentic, consolidated Constitution of the Federation with the different alterations embedded where they belong to make the Constitution one whole document.
This followed a motion by Senator Chukwuka Utazi on harmonizing the different versions and copies of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in circulation into one authentic whole. He recognized that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria came into force on May 29 1999 with eight Chapters, 320 Sections and Seven Schedules. “Since 1999, the Constitution has successfully gone through three alterations, in July 2010, November 2010 and March 2011 respectively and in each case amending various provisions to bring them in conformity with contemporary democratic practice and realities” Utazi said.
He expressed concerned that these alterations are printed as separate provisions and there has not been an attempt to embed and graft them into the Constitution as one whole living document. The Senator also expressed worries that there are different versions of the original 1999 Constitution and of the three alterations with various copies in circulation. “Worried that the Constitution is the heart-beat of the nation and its provisions should not be subjected to caprices of printers or allowed to have different word and structure,” Utazi added.
He said the existence of various versions of the Constitution makes it an unreliable source of law, whittles down its force as the fundamental authority for all laws in Nigeria and does not make for certainty of its provisions. “it dilutes its potency in the hierarch of laws and makes it susceptible to misinterpretation by mischief-makers who may want to take advantage of the situation” Utazi said.
In seconding the motion, Senator Aliyu Wamakko said the motion is straight forward and there is no need for further debate on it. He urged other Senators to support the motion.
In his reaction, the Senate President Bukola Saraki agreed that the motion was straight forward. He urged the chairman of Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to ensure quick harmonization of the Constitution.
