The National Conference resumed plenary session in Abuja on Monday and immediately adjourned till Wednesday, Aug. 13 to commence discussion on its final report.
Secretary of the conference, Dr Valerie Azinge, representing the Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi (rtd), informed delegates that there would be no sitting on Tuesday.
She said delegates were supposed to collect documents and study them in preparation for discussion on Wednesday.
“Distinguished delegates, I have the mandate of the chairman to tell you that there shall be no sitting till Wednesday.
“But you are to collect the reports today (Monday). We want you to go with all these documents and resume plenary on Wednesday at 10 a.m.”, Azinge said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that each delegate was handed the final 906-page report of the conference in volumes 1 and II.
Each delegate also collected a copy of the constitution, also in two volumes.
Volume 1 is the 1999 Constitution while Volume II is the proposed amendments to the existing constitution as recommended by the conference.
The documents given to each delegate also contained a Draft Constitution that is expected to be produced after the infusion of the amendments into the existing constitution.
It also included a Bill to introduce the amendments, as an “amendment and alteration”, making it the third alteration to the constitution.
Also contained in the documents are the votes of proceedings of the conference from March to July.
Azinge, however, said the proceedings of the Standing Committees would be made available to delegates at a later date.
She said she could not take any personal decision, urging delegates to take other matters up with the chairman at resumption on Wednesday.
A delegate, Mr Sani Zoro, had queried the inclusion of the draft constitution, which he termed “strange document.”
Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, another delegate, said the two days given to study the documents were inadequate.
NAN reports that Kutigi and the Deputy Chairman, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi as well as the three Assistant Secretaries were absent at Monday’s session. (NAN)
