The Southern Solidarity Alliance (SSA), a pan-Southern Nigeria group, has proposed sweeping constitutional amendments to address systemic issues and promote equitable governance, as outlined in a press statement released on August 11, 2025, by National Coordinator Ndubuisi Okafor. The SSA advocates for true federalism, with states as federating units, equal state distribution across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones (seven per zone), and devolution of powers to states and local governments. It calls for fiscal federalism, where states generate revenue and remit an agreed percentage to the central government, and insists local governments remain subordinate to states. The group also proposes a part-time bicameral legislature, stringent anti-corruption measures with special courts and severe penalties like death sentences or life bans for offenses such as embezzlement and election rigging, and independent bodies to appoint key officials like judges, INEC commissioners, and the Inspector-General of Police.
The SSA’s recommendations include a robust judicial system with state-level High Courts, Appeal Courts, and Supreme Courts to handle local laws, alongside federal courts for national laws. It demands real-time electronic transmission of election results, resolution of electoral disputes before inaugurations, and provisions for independent candidates and diaspora voting. The group also pushes for multilevel policing: federal, state, and local government police, to address insecurity, a single five-year presidential term with rotation between North and South, and a secular state barring government involvement in religious activities like pilgrimages. Additionally, the SSA proposes periodic Truth and Reconciliation Committees and a referendum clause to ensure constitutional renewals, emphasizing equity by accounting for past presidential tenures since 1999.
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