…Chidoka highlights Soludo’s compelling ideas and their potential impact on the country’s political landscape.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recent paper at The Platform has ignited a meaningful discussion about Nigeria’s future, with many praising his structuralist approach and emphasis on Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution, iNews Times reports.
Former Minister or Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre, Osita Chidoka, reflecting on Soludo’s speech, highlights the governor’s compelling ideas and their potential impact on the country’s political landscape.
Chidoka notes that Soludo’s reframing of “Rebuilding” as “Creating” Nigeria is a powerful reimagining of the national journey. “Rather than assume there was once a golden age to restore, he rightly asks whether we ever truly had a cohesive nation to begin with,” Chidoka writes.
This perspective challenges Nigerians to intentionally construct the nation they desire.
Soludo’s proposal for ideologically based political parties is another key aspect of his speech.
Chidoka highlights the governor’s suggestion to revive the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and align parties like APC, LP, and APGA under a coherent ideological platform. “This is a rare and needed structuralist lens in Nigerian political thinking,” Chidoka observes.
Soludo’s focus on Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution is a significant part of his speech.
Chidoka notes that the governor argues that this chapter, which contains the “Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy,” should be the foundation for building a just, inclusive, and modern Nigerian state.
“Few Nigerian politicians have treated Chapter Two as a guiding moral and governance framework,” Chidoka writes.
Chidoka raises important questions about the implementation of Chapter Two, asking, “Do we need to wait till our fundamental objectives become justiciable before giving life to its provisions?”
He also queries how political parties plan to actualize the constitutional mandate of fairness and federal character.
Chidoka concludes that Soludo has set the ball rolling, and now it’s up to every party, leader, and candidate to answer the question: “How do your policies give life to Chapter Two of the Constitution?”
Adding, “Let the real conversation begin,” emphasizing the need for a national discussion on Soludo’s ideas and their potential impact on Nigeria’s future, iNews Times reports.
Below is the full text of Osita Chidoka’s note
Reflections on Soludo’s Platform Speech: Creating Nigeria Through Chapter Two of the Constitution
I read Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s profound and engaging paper at the June 12, 2025 edition of The Platform with keen interest. I found his structuralist approach remarkably in sync with my hopeful and optimistic view of Nigeria and the enduring arc of human progress.
In an intellectually robust address, Governor Soludo introduced several compelling ideas.
First, he reframed “Rebuilding” as “Creating”—a powerful reimagining of our national journey. Rather than assume there was once a golden age to restore, he rightly asks whether we ever truly had a cohesive nation to begin with. This reframing, rooted in historical realism, challenges us to intentionally construct the Nigeria we desire.
Second, he made the case for Ideologically Based Political Parties, moving beyond the common call for “better leadership.” He offered a practical proposal: revive the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and align parties like APC, LP, and APGA under a coherent ideological platform. This is a rare and needed structuralist lens in Nigerian political thinking.
Third, perhaps most significantly, was his focus on Chapter Two of the much-maligned 1999 Constitution. For too long, the “Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy” have been dismissed as non-justiciable and therefore irrelevant.
But as Soludo rightly argued, Chapter Two contains the ideological heartbeat of our republic. It should be the foundation for building a just, inclusive, modern Nigerian state.
Few Nigerian politicians have treated Chapter Two as a guiding moral and governance framework. Soludo’s insistence on its centrality is refreshing—and deserves national attention.
Do we need to wait till our fundamental objectives become justiciable before giving life to its provisions? How can a “fundamental objective and directive principle” not constitute the organising principle of our nation in all aspects?
If a party says it is progressive, what is its plan to make free and compulsory education a reality in every ward?
How do political parties propose to actualise this constitutional mandate of fairness and federal character:
“The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies… shall reflect the federal character of Nigeria… ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or ethnic or other sectional groups…”
Chukwuma Soludo has set the ball rolling.
The challenge now is for every party, every leader, and every candidate to answer the question:
How do your policies give life to Chapter Two of the Constitution?
And more fundamentally:
Is Soludo right in proposing that the strategy for achieving Chapter Two should define and distinguish our political parties?
Let the real conversation begin.
Osita Chidoka
14 June 2025
