The Association of Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities (ASOMBEN), an umbrella organisation for indigenous ethnic groups in the Northcentral Zone, has rejected the modalities for the national conference.
Rising from a meeting in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, the association said the distribution of delegates was devoid of equity, fairness and justice.
In its communique, the group said: “The modalities released on 30th January 2014 by Senator Pius Anyim Pius provided for only 90 delegates (less that 20 percent) for hundreds of ethnic nationalities, out of a total of 492 delegates, who will participateat the conference.
“We consider this allocation far too small for ethnic nationalities who actually demanded for the national conference. We are therefore, using this medium to request Mr. President to kindly consider allocating not less than 75 percent of the total number of delegates to ethnic nationalities and to share this allocation equally among the 109 Senatorial Districts of Nigeria.
“The modalities provide that Mr. President will nominate the following number of delegates from different segments of our society: 37 from among elder statesmen, six from among youths, six from among judicial officers, and the Federal Government will nominate another 20 delegates, thus giving Mr. President the opportunity to nominate a total of 69 delegates. State Governors and the FCT Minister will nominate another 109 delegates according to Nigeria’s Senatorial Districts.
“This means that a total of 178 delegates, which is almost 40 percent of all the National Conference delegates, will be nominated directly by Mr. President, the 36 State Governors and the FCT Minister. It goes without saying that Mr. President and the State Governors will influence the nomination of the delegates to be nominated among traditional rulers, retired military and security personnel, retired civil servants and political parties.
ASOMBEN added: “The combined effect of the provisions mentioned above is that Government is going to directly or indirectly nominate or influence the nomination of 80 percent of the delegates going to the national conference. With such a preponderance of government nominees, we doubt if the yearnings and aspirations of the millions of marginalised ethnic nationalities will be dispassionately treated. The national nonference would have lost its real purpose, which is to provide a platform for ordinary Nigerians to talk to each other about the things that are plaguing their lives.
“The provision in the modalities that says the decisions and resolutions at the National Conference should be reached either by consensus or by 75 per cent majority means that Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities, who have been allocated less than 20% of the 492 delegates, would have been short-changed. The Federal Government’s almost 80 per cent share of delegates’ will easily have their views carried through.