The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has sought the urgent intervention of the international community to rescue the nation from the path of another civil war that it is currently treading.
Pointing to present political upheavals, instability, deterioration of national security, lack of cohesion and mutual distrust in the country that was similar to the time before the civil war between 1967 and 1970, NADECO appealed for intervention of the international community to prevent looming eruption of hostilities in Nigeria.
The prayers of NADECO were contained in a Save Our Souls (SOS) letter addressed to the Secretary-General, United Nations Organisation (UNO), that was signed by its General Secretary and Spokesperson, Mr Ayo Opadokun.
Aside from the Secretary-General of the UNO, NADECO, through letters, is also seeking the intervention of the Security Council of the UNO, the President of the United States of America, the Speaker of the Congress and Leader of Senate of the United States of America, the European Union and European parliament, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the House of Commons.
The coalition hinged its appeal for intervention of the international community on the argument that should anything untoward happen to Nigeria, it will foist unwholesome and negatively impactful consequences on the West Africa sub-region, the African continent and the global community.
According to NADECO, the nation was on the edge because ethnic nationalities could no longer bear being treated as slaves and inferior citizens in a contrived political space. The coalition bemoaned that the present situation in Nigeria had become so deplorable because of the imposed centralist and unitarist 1999 constitution, “manufactured by a military clique and imposed upon us”.
Calling for a discontinuation of the 1999 constitution, NADECO demanded a return to federal constitutional governance relying on the 1960 independence and 1963 republic constitutions. In addition, NADECO demanded that there should be no more elections under the 1999 constitution until a return to the 1960 and 1963 federal constitutions to which Nigerians truly subscribed to at independence and when the nation became a republic.
“Nigeria’s current situation is so deplorable because of the imposed centralist and unitarist 1999 constitution which was manufactured by a military clique and imposed upon us.
“Ethnic Nationalities who were the building blocks upon which the British Colonialist constructed Nigeria had clamoured, appealed and cautioned the sectional military wing ruling Nigeria (foisting Obasanjo and Jonathan) as surrogates, for Nigeria to return to Federal Constitution upon which Nigeria secured its independence in 1960 but their interventions had always been met with disdain and provocative responses. Nigerians have never accepted the suspension, and abrogation of the negotiated Independence Constitution.
“Agitations for a return to Federal Constitutional Governance, using the 1960 and 1963 Independence and Republican Constitutions as the working papers have been very loud, persistent and popular by Ethnic Nationalities and others with the youths of the South and the Middle Belt who constitute about 65% of the latest statistics of Nigerian population have resorted to street actions leading to political instability, incohesion and mutual distrust that are worse than what the situation was before the Nigerian Civil War between 1967-1970.
“We are appealing to you to take appropriate steps to help Nigeria resolve the dangerous paths the country is treading now. Political upheavals, instability, another civil war is better prevented now by the international community because it will cost you far less if you prevent the possible eruption of open hostilities in Nigeria.
“This is also because anything that happens in Nigeria will have unwholesome and negatively impactful consequences on the West Africa Sub-Region, the African continent and the global community. Our request is urgent and timeous,” the letter read.
