Former NBA President Olanipekun recalls Obasanjo’s anger over proposed constitution amendment

A bombshell revelation dropped by former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has cast a light on a potentially heated exchange with former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his presidency.

Speaking on Wednesday, Olanipekun claimed that Obasanjo nearly resorted to physical violence when he, as NBA President, advocated for amendments to the 1999 Constitution.

Olanipekun said while delivering the Convocation Lecture of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

The theme of the lecture was: “Mass Exodus Of Human Capital In Nigeria: An Anatomical Analysis of The Causes and Effects.”

Olanipekun, who described the 1999 Constitution as a fake document, said it was to blame for the myriad challenges bedevilling the country.

“Every governor goes to Abuja now everyday and who do they go to see, directors, deputy directors. Is this federalism?

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“We need a constitution with a humane face. I’m a lawyer but we are deceiving ourselves; our constitution is fake and I have said this over and over, but then as lawyers you will ask us, if we say the constitution is fake, why are we practising it?

“Lawyers and judges apply the law as it is, not the law as it ought to be; so we apply the law as we have it now and we have been pleading that we should amend the constitution, let us overhaul it. I, as President of the NBA, I led a delegation of the association to President Obasanjo in 2022; he almost boxed me.

“I am here in Ogun State and I’m saying this, he is still alive, he said, ‘No, you can’t change it’. I said, ‘Mr. President, let us seize this opportunity to do it’ and we also appeal to the powers that be now, to our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the time for us to restructure this country is now. If we do not do it, these children that we have abroad might not return home, they won’t come here.”

The specific reasons for Obasanjo’s near-violent response remain unclear. However, speculation points to potential concerns about the timing of the proposal, potential power struggles, or differing views on the necessity of amendments.

Whether or not Obasanjo’s alleged reaction reflects wider sentiments within the political class remains to be seen. However, Olanipekun’s revelation certainly adds another layer to the complex discourse surrounding constitutional reform in Nigeria. It serves as a reminder of the historical tensions and personal encounters that shape national conversations on crucial issues like constitutional amendments.

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