The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has berated the leadership of the National Assembly over what it described as a flawed and exclusionary consultation process in the ongoing constitutional review, particularly in the South West geopolitical zone.
The group, in a strongly worded statement on Monday, faulted the recent engagement between the National Assembly and selected traditional rulers from the region, saying it excluded critical indigenous stakeholders, especially from Lagos State.
The meeting, which held on Friday, July 4, 2025, reportedly focused on sensitive issues including the recognition of 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos and the controversial proposal to replace indigeneship with residency in the Nigerian Constitution.
But the Foundation, a socio-cultural body advocating for the rights of Lagos indigenes, expressed outrage that its prior written submissions to the National Assembly—urging the rejection of bills promoting residency over indigeneship—were ignored.
In a statement issued by its Media Office, the group warned that any constitutional amendment resulting from a “selective and flawed” consultation process would deepen national discontent and risk plunging the country into further crisis.
“The National Assembly must rectify this procedural failure and ensure that no resolution is advanced without comprehensive input from all key stakeholders,” the group said.
De Renaissance Patriots particularly frowned at what it called a “deliberate sidelining” of core indigenous organisations in the Lagos consultation, noting that relying solely on traditional rulers for such a critical national dialogue was undemocratic and insufficient.
The Foundation added that the ongoing marginalisation of Lagos indigenes in political and administrative decisions within the state was a dangerous trend.
It described attempts to substitute indigeneship with residency and formalise the 37 LCDAs as a legislative strategy to weaken the historical and constitutional identity of Lagos natives.
“It is unacceptable that legislation is being pushed to erase indigeneship under the guise of promoting residency while legitimizing LCDAs that do not reflect the will of Lagosians. This is a calculated move to dispossess and dominate indigenous people in their own land,” the statement read.
The Foundation accused the National Assembly of adopting a divisive posture and warned that turning Lagos into a “no man’s land” through constitutional engineering would not be tolerated.
“The 1999 Constitution, a military-era document, already faces legitimacy issues. Any further tampering with its provisions, especially those relating to the identity and rights of indigenous populations, must follow due process and carry the people along,” it added.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the heritage and rights of Lagos indigenes and called for genuine inclusivity in the constitutional review process.
“The future of Lagos and Nigeria depends on a fair, transparent, and inclusive constitution-making process. We demand that the voices of Lagos indigenes be respected and reflected in the outcome,” it concluded.
The statement was signed by the Media Office of the De Renaissance Patriots Foundation.
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