National Conference Waste of Precious Time - Elechi

The proposed national conference by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is a mere waste time because nothing will come out of it, Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin ELechi has said.

Speaking with some founding fathers of the state, who paid him a Christmas visit, he argued that rather than convene another conference, the Federal Government should simply adopt the recommendations of the National Political Reform Conference held during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005.

Elechi was a known supporter of the conference but has now turned around to say that it would fail, especially as the National Assembly is already empowered by the constitution to make laws for the country.

'The national conference, to me, is a big joke, waste of time and a distraction to Goodluck Jonathan', he said.

'I am skeptical about it. It will not achieve anything. The constitution gives the National Assembly the power to make laws and the referendum cannot override the deliberations of the National Assembly'.

He described the colloquium during Obasanjo's term as the best, as all segments of national life talked and reached far-reaching decisions.

'I will still consult my people but if at the end they decide to participate, I will not stop anybody but I will distance myself and be an onlooker', he added. 'The National Assembly over-ruled it due to the third term ambitions of Obasanjo. We should revisit that colloquium and the recommendations reached'.

In a reaction to the governor's comments, a member of the Ebonyi Founding Fathers' Association, Egwu Chima refrained from crossing words with the governor, saying he had attended many such conferences and is therefore better placed to predict the outcome.

'There is a level man would attain in life and he cannot be taken as mere flesh', he said. 'Elechi can no longer be taken as mere flesh in Nigerian politics and experiment. It is a product of experience'.

The proposed national conference by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is a mere waste time because nothing will come out of it, Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin ELechi has said.

Speaking with some founding fathers of the state, who paid him a Christmas visit, he argued that rather than convene another conference, the Federal Government should simply adopt the recommendations of the National Political Reform Conference held during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005.

Elechi was a known supporter of the conference but has now turned around to say that it would fail, especially as the National Assembly is already empowered by the constitution to make laws for the country.

'The national conference, to me, is a big joke, waste of time and a distraction to Goodluck Jonathan', he said.

'I am skeptical about it. It will not achieve anything. The constitution gives the National Assembly the power to make laws and the referendum cannot override the deliberations of the National Assembly'.

He described the colloquium during Obasanjo's term as the best, as all segments of national life talked and reached far-reaching decisions.

'I will still consult my people but if at the end they decide to participate, I will not stop anybody but I will distance myself and be an onlooker', he added. 'The National Assembly over-ruled it due to the third term ambitions of Obasanjo. We should revisit that colloquium and the recommendations reached'.

In a reaction to the governor's comments, a member of the Ebonyi Founding Fathers' Association, Egwu Chima refrained from crossing words with the governor, saying he had attended many such conferences and is therefore better placed to predict the outcome.

'There is a level man would attain in life and he cannot be taken as mere flesh', he said. 'Elechi can no longer be taken as mere flesh in Nigerian politics and experiment. It is a product of experience'.