By Paul Joseph
The National Assembly has transmitted the 2026 Constitution amendment bill to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration and approval.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, disclosed this on Wednesday, September 16, saying the transmission was made in line with the directive of the National Assembly leadership and the provisions of Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
Under the constitutional requirement, a proposed amendment must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly before it can be passed by the National Assembly.
This means the bill requires the support of at least 24 of the 36 state legislatures.
Ogunlana asked the state assemblies to consider the proposals in accordance with their respective legislative procedures and forward their resolutions to the National Assembly upon completion.
Although Section 9 does not specify a timeframe for the state legislatures to respond, the National Assembly said it is working with an administrative target of 30 days from the date the bill is received.
The National Assembly stressed that the 30-day period is not a constitutional deadline and recognised the independence and constitutional responsibilities of the state legislatures throughout the process.
It said the transmission was intended to promote an organised and coordinated consideration of the proposed amendments while ensuring compliance with constitutional provisions, due process and institutional procedures.
The National Assembly will determine its next steps after receiving the decisions of the various State Houses of Assembly.
Among the proposals contained in the amendment bill is a state police framework that would provide for both federal and independent state police structures.
The bill also proposes special legislative seats for women at the federal and state levels as part of measures aimed at increasing women’s representation in the legislatures.
Another major proposal seeks to strengthen local government autonomy by providing greater financial independence for councils and devolving additional powers to the grassroots level.
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