AfriPulse
The National Assembly says it is on track to transmit the final draft of the 1999 Constitution amendment bills to state Houses of Assembly before the end of 2025, with lawmakers stressing that the success of the exercise now rests largely with state legislatures.
Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Barau Jibrin, gave the assurance on Monday during a joint session of the Senate and House Committees on Constitution Amendment with the Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies in Abuja.
Barau said the joint committee is clearing the final procedural hurdles and consolidating earlier resolutions before dispatching the documents to the states. He said major deliberations were concluded at an earlier retreat in Lagos, where sub-committees were mandated to fine-tune the bills.
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“This meeting is not to reopen settled issues but to validate earlier decisions and receive reports from sub-committees tasked with legislative refinement,” he said, adding that outstanding matters include proposals for new states and local governments. He urged stakeholders to remain committed to meeting the deadline.
Barau underscored the constitutional requirement that at least 24 state assemblies must approve any alteration before it can take effect. The engagement with speakers, he said, was to ensure alignment with issues distilled from nationwide hearings and consultations.
Echoing this position, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Review Committee, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, said the fate of the reform rests with the 36 state assemblies, describing them as “gatekeepers of constitutional reform.”
“Section 9 mandates that any alteration must be endorsed by at least two-thirds of the Houses of Assembly. No matter how brilliant our proposals are, they will not become law without state-level approval,” Kalu stated.
He noted that the review process has reached an advanced stage after zonal hearings, retreats and wide-ranging engagements with governors, political parties, traditional rulers, civil society and security stakeholders.
According to Kalu, Nigerians have consistently demanded amendments that devolve power, strengthen local government autonomy, ensure electoral credibility, deepen fiscal federalism and promote gender inclusion. He said the Lagos retreat in October helped prioritise areas with broad public support and political viability.
Describing the Abuja session as the final retreat before voting, Kalu said the National Assembly is moving from “deliberation to decision” and from “debate to delivery.” He disclosed that governors will be formally briefed on the process on Wednesday, assuring them that the amendments are not designed to undermine executive authority but to strengthen federalism.
Calling on speakers to act as “ambassadors of the people’s will,” Kalu urged them to champion the reforms when they return to their states.
Both presiding officers emphasised that timely action from state assemblies is critical to delivering on their promise to Nigerians that the constitution alteration bills will be transmitted this year.
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Source: DailyTrust | Read the Full Story…
