Before we Call for a Referendum

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In recent times, some people in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, predominantly made up of Igbo people has been agitating for breakup owing to what they felt was marginalisation and non-inclusion in the scheme of things in Nigeria. The Leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and his followers have called for a Referendum so we can vote whether to stay in Nigeria or leave.

Now, the word 'Referendum' has been flying up and down, and while most of us know that it's merely a vote whereby people of voting age vote to decide on a particular proposal, we need to also understand what it entails. In a referendum, the people are asked a direct question and are required to answer 'yes' or 'no'. Seems simple enough, right?

In 2014, Scotland voted in a Referendum to leave the United Kingdom, same with the United Kingdom in 2016 when they voted to leave the European Union. Countries like Turkey have also used a referendum to get approval for some policies, while Catalonia is gearing up for one on October 1, despite opposition from the Spanish government.

One thing we have to note is that for a referendum to take place, there has to be a law backing it up, either the constitution, an Article, or any other such binding document. You cannot wake up one morning and demand that a referendum should be given to you without any law to refer to. 

Now, in Nigeria, our book of law is the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and despite the series of amendments the Nigerian Constitution has undergone over the decades, there is no provision for a referendum in it! NONE!! Therefore, before you join in the chant 'give us Referendum', please do yourself a favour and understand what the law says!

Is the constitution flawed? Maybe, but that is beside the point, as it is believed to be flawed in many areas, with lacunas and silence here and there. So, you see, this is not a matter of asking or mandating the President to give us a referendum, he simply cannot do that, even if he wants to. To get a Referendum, we should go back to the National Assembly, starting with our representatives in the Upper and Lower Chambers, and it should be included in the constitutional amendment. Without this, we can agitate from now till tomorrow, nothing will come out of it, rather more lives will get wasted.

Let's consider the options: one, we can get the people we already voted to represent us to sponsor a constitution amendment Bill, or wait and vote another set of people into power in 2019, if we feel the representatives we have at the National Assembly cannot do it for us right now. Bottom line is, the Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives must drive this project, not ordinary citizens.

However, I read that UK wants to do a second vote as there has been protests against Brexit. Could it be that they already regret it? Time will tell... Remember they voted in 2016, and the exit will commence in 2019, so we can see that it is not a day's event.

Will we get to vote in a referendum for the secession of Biafra? Time will tell... One step at a time, and let the right steps be followed.