Southern, Middle Belt leaders give another 120-day ultimatum

Leaders of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt, under the auspices of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-determination (NINAS), yesterday, gave another 120-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to attend to their demand of self-determination, otherwise they would begin processes of repudiating the 1999 Constitutions and assert their independence. 

It would be recalled that the group had initially given a 90-day ultimatum and another 30-day ultimatum, which expired on Friday.
The group said having allotted a total of 120 days to the two tiers of government in Nigeria for consultation and engagement with the issues raised by NINAS Constitutional Force Majeure Proclamation of December 16, 2020, it declared a 120-day period of consultations commencing April 17, 2021 with the Peoples of the Alliance Territories with dedicated sessions for various segments of the Nigerian and international community.

The Chairman of NINAS, Prof. Banji Akintoye stated this in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the world press conference by NINAS at the expiration of the 30-day period of consultations with the elected officials from the Alliance Territories, following the expiration of the 90-day notice of grave constitutional grievances issued the Federal Government of Nigeria by NINAS on December 16, 2020.

Otunba Shade Olukoya, Treasurer, Ilana Omo Oodua and Chairman, Steering Committee of NINAS, read Prof. Akintoye’s speech: “NINAS offers the framework for activating this de facto governance imperative, which begins with providing clear directions to our traumatised peoples and relating to the international community on their behalf. 

“NINAS knows and hereby alerts the Peoples of the Alliance Territories that the mad rush of the caliphate and its agents across Nigeria, to drag Nigeria to another round of national elections under the 1999 Constitution informed by the Caliphate ‘s desperation to somehow resuscitate that Constitution in the sense that if, instead of taking down the 1999 Constitution forthwith (which is well now with the Constitutional force majeure), we (the Alliance) go for Elections under that Constitution, we will invariably give a fresh lease of life to that Constitution, whereas if we press on as we are already doing presently, by rejecting further any national elections (2023 in particular) under the 1999 Constitution, that constitution will be dismantled, decommissioned and jettisoned inside the first half of 2021, paving the way immediately for transitioning, referendums and emergence of successor-constitutional arrangements…

“Let it be known that upon completion of this first final round of consultations by mid-August 2021, should the demands of the Constitutional force majeure (CFM) remain unaddressed, NINAS shall proceed most expeditiously with the Activation of Reconsideration of Allegiance to the repudiated 1999 Constitution and commence processes of the orderly interment of that Constitution within the context of the self-determination imperative for the Constituent Nationalities Components of Nigeria.”

The group also berated a former presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, for describing self-determination campaign as treason.