{"id":90063,"date":"2025-11-25T06:27:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/?p=90063"},"modified":"2025-11-25T06:40:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:40:51","slug":"constitution-review-moves-to-36-state-assemblies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dnllegalandstyle.com\/dnl\/constitution-review-moves-to-36-state-assemblies\/","title":{"rendered":"Constitution Review Moves to 36 State Assemblies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Dirisu Yakubu<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review on Monday moved closer to meeting its December 2025 deadline as members convened in Abuja to firm up the final draft of proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawmakers are expected to vote in the coming weeks on critical areas identified by Nigerians during earlier consultations, including power devolution, fiscal federalism, electoral reforms, state police, and reserved seats for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to committee leaders, the process has now entered its concluding phase with no further submissions to be entertained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate Deputy President and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the meeting signalled the completion of the committee\u2019s assignment ahead of the voting stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur meeting today (Monday) will be less deliberative. The purpose is to approve positions reached previously. This is the last lap of this assignment. We must fulfil our promise to Nigerians and the bills will be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jibrin reminded participants that most contentious issues had already been resolved at the Lagos retreat held a month earlier, leaving only ratification and technical adjustments for the committee to conclude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same spirit, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, praised the dedication of members and affirmed that the exercise was now at the point of decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From these engagements, he said, Nigerians expressed a clear demand for reforms that will \u201cdevolve more powers to states, guarantee local government autonomy, strengthen state policing and internal security, ensure credible elections, deepen fiscal federalism and expand gender representation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Jibrin and Kalu emphasised that attention now shifts to the State Houses of Assembly, whose approval\u2014two-thirds of all state legislatures\u2014is required under Section 9 of the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalu said, \u201cThe success or failure of this review will not be determined here in Abuja, but in the 36 State Assemblies. You are the gatekeepers of constitutional reform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Barau added that the retreat was intentionally designed to align state lawmakers with the committee\u2019s work before the bills are formally transmitted to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kalu also disclosed that all state governors would be briefed on Wednesday to secure support at the executive level and prevent political obstacles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not to undermine executive authority,\u201d he said, \u201cbut to strengthen federalism and deliver the democracy Nigerians deserve. History is watching us. Over 200 million Nigerians anticipate direction from this Assembly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He urged Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly to return to their states as \u201cambassadors of reform,\u201d and called on federal lawmakers to remain available for the last stage of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is our moment. Let us rise to it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With deliberations concluded, the committee\u2019s sub-reports will be harmonised and presented for voting in both chambers\u2014a process expected to be one of the defining legislative decisions of the 10th National Assembly. If approved by two-thirds of the state Assemblies, the bills will proceed to the President for assent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culled: Punch News<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Dirisu Yakubu The National Assembly Joint Committee on Constitution Review on Monday moved closer to meeting its December 2025 deadline as members convened in Abuja to firm up the final draft of proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution. Lawmakers are expected to vote in the coming weeks on critical areas identified by Nigerians during earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":90064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t