2027: Nigeria’s Regional Groups Align on New Constitution Agenda
Afenifere, Ohaneze, Middle Belt, PANDEF and NCEF Seek Consensus on True Federalism
Our Staff Reporter
Five of Nigeria’s most influential socio-cultural groups are putting constitutional restructuring at the center of the 2027 election conversation.
At a strategic meeting in Abuja on July 28, 2026, leaders of Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndigbo, the Middle Belt Forum, PANDEF, and the National Christian Elders Forum, NCEF, agreed to push for what they called a “new constitutional order founded on true federalism” before the next general elections.
The meeting, addressed by NCEF Chairman Dr. Samuel Danjuma Gani, CON, followed an earlier engagement in March 2026 where the same groups discussed the 2027 elections and the need for a “people’s constitution.”
Dr. Gani told the gathering that Nigeria’s current 1999 Constitution, as amended, is not a people’s document. He described it as “fundamentally a military decree enacted to facilitate a transition from military to civilian rule rather than a constitution negotiated and adopted by the Nigerian autochthonic people.”
According to him, repeated amendments by the National Assembly have failed to fix “foundational defects.”
The Forum argued that the country now needs an entirely new framework that reflects the aspirations of Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities.
“The present constitutional arrangement has become increasingly incapable of addressing Nigeria’s persistent political instability, insecurity and recurring agitations across the federation for restructuring,” Dr. Gani said.
The central proposal from NCEF was a return to the principles of the 1963 Republican Constitution.
The Forum described the 1963 document as “the only constitution negotiated through broad bottom-top consultation among Nigeria’s autochthonic ethnic groups,” championed by Nigeria’s founding leaders.
It said the 1963 Constitution recognized true federalism by giving federating units substantial autonomy while maintaining a central government.
The group suggested it could serve as the foundation for a new federation, with amendments to reflect current realities.
The Forum also called for a rethink of Nigeria’s governance structure.
It argued that governance should be reorganized around “Nigeria’s autochthonic ethnic nationalities” rather than the current three-tier structure of Federal Government, 36 states and 774 LGAs created under military rule.
The most significant political signal from the meeting was a push to expand the conversation beyond the South and Middle Belt.
NCEF urged Afenifere, Ohaneze, PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum to engage Northern Elders Forum, NEF and Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF to build a national consensus around true federalism.
It also proposed an alliance with advocacy groups such as the Movement for National Reformation, MNR; The Rebirth Group, TRG; Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination, NINAS; and The Patriots that have campaigned for restructuring: the goal, according to participants, to consolidate different reform proposals into one coordinated national platform ahead of 2027.
In its most consequential recommendation, NCEF said Nigeria should “avoid conducting the 2027 elections under the present military-imposed constitutional framework” if meaningful reform is to happen.
It called on the National Assembly and the Presidency to take immediate steps toward restoring principles from the 1963 Constitution and to facilitate a truly negotiated constitution “owned by the Nigerian autochthonic people.”
The Forum acknowledged this would require “significant political will,” but warned that delaying restructuring could worsen governance and security challenges.
The Abuja meeting, pundits say, shows that constitutional reform is moving from civil society circles into mainstream pre-election politics.
While political parties are yet to announce candidates, these socio-cultural blocs are already trying to set the terms of debate: not just who rules, but under what rules Nigeria will be governed.
Whether the proposed alliance with northern groups materializes remains to be seen, as NEF and ACF have in the past been cautious about restructuring talks, preferring amendments to wholesale replacement.
They, however, opined that the alignment of Afenifere, Ohaneze, Middle Belt, PANDEF and NCEF signals that for a growing segment of Nigeria’s elite, the 2027 contest will be about more than power. It will be about legitimacy.
As Dr. Gani put it, the question now is whether Nigeria goes into 2027 with a constitution negotiated by its people, or with one inherited from the military.
If this coalition holds, constitutional restructuring could become the defining issue of the next election cycle right alongside the contest for the presidency itself.
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