*Urges Expediated Action
NIGERIA’S 36 states Houses of Assembly have been given a 30-day administrative window to consider and communicate their positions on the 2026 constitution amendment Bill transmitted to them by the National Assembly.
The national legislature transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to all state legislatures on Wednesday, September 16.
Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, in a statement in Abuja said the transmission was in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the state Assemblies before constitutional amendments can proceed.
Ogunlana clarified that the 30-day period was not a constitutional deadline, but a timeframe adopted as an administrative measure to ensure an orderly and timely conclusion of the process, as the Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which state Assemblies must communicate their resolutions.
He urged the state Assemblies to consider the Bill through their respective legislative procedures and transmit their resolutions to the National Assembly.
The national legislature acknowledged the constitutional independence of the state legislatures, saying the transmission was intended to facilitate their discharge of the responsibilities assigned to them under Section 9.
The statement said the National Assembly remained committed to conducting the amendment process in compliance with constitutional provisions, due process and the legislative responsibilities of the different tiers of government, promising to take the next necessary steps after receiving the resolutions of the 36 Assemblies.
