By JOSEPH ERUNKE

ABUJA — CHAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Ita Enang, said, yesterday, that the national conference which committee President Goodluck Jonathan set up, Tuesday, shortly after his speech to mark this year’s Independence Day, may be a process of giving Nigeria a brand new constitution.

In a telephone interview with Vanguard in Abuja, in reaction to President Jonathan’s proposal for the national conference, Enang who represents Akwa Ibom North East in the Senate, said his statement was based on the grounds that the National Assembly, during its last constitution amendment, stated that if there would be need for a new constitution for the country, then there must be a process towards it.

He said, “You remember that when we were amending the constitution, we stated in the amendment that if there be need for a whole new constitution to be promulgated, then there must be a process. So, this may be part of the process for promulgating a brand new constitution. That is when people will say what they want and then, they will bring it to the National Assembly to be considered.”

Enang warned that its handlers should be careful the way it will be treated so that the development won’t become a campaign tools for the opponents of President Goodluck Jonathan as well as the ruling Peoples Democratic Party just as he prayed that the exercise should not just be an effort in futility.

He said, “I pray that it should not just be a waste of time or a diversion because you remember, during Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime, there was something that Nigerians said they wanted to talk about and he set up a similar thing which result we have not seen. I pray also that it should not be what the opposition will use against the president and the PDP in the next election. Let us not also be praying that there will be no court injunction stopping it in one way or the other.”

Enang who said the conference cannot be sovereign as being canvassed by some Nigerians, since according to him; the president and the National Assembly were representatives of Nigeria’s sovereignty, noted, “You cannot have two sovereignties. The president is the representation of Nigerian sovereignty; the National Assembly is the representation of Nigerian sovereignty. You cannot constitute sovereignty because that means you have nullified your own sovereignty.”

He thanked President Jonathan for setting up an advisory body preparatory to convocation of a national conference.