The first interim national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande has urged the National Assembly to dump the 1999 constitution and adopt the 1960 version.
During a Saturday interview preceding his 85th birthday celebration, Akande expressed support for restructuring the country, emphasizing that it primarily entails discarding the 1999 constitution.
He highlighted that the constitution was not written by anyone, urging the National Assembly to reconsider its stance on the matter.
He said, “I will prefer the 1960 Constitution for Nigeria; it is the best! For example, in the 1960 Constitution, if you are a member of national and state assemblies, you are part-time, you go to work; politics wasn’t work then. Farmers go to the farm, lawyers go to their chambers, doctors go to their hospitals, and when it is time for a meeting, they go to the meeting and they pay them a sitting allowance; everybody knows that they are doing it in the interest of the public.”
Akande lamented that the military changed the practice by introducing money and lavish spending into politics, which are not helping the country.
He added: “The military, because they wanted to stay permanently in power, started using money to pay them (assemblies) salaries, and everybody left their job to become politicians. You leave your job, you all belong, you become a politician, you have nothing to do and nothing to produce, and you want to be materialistic. You become fake because you have gone from good to bad.
He warned: “Until you retrace your steps back, you can’t have it well. If you’re talking about restructuring, you don’t need much; throw away this present constitution, which is not written by anybody, and embrace the 1960 constitution. Look at present-day realities to adjust it.”