States get 30 days to consider Constitution amendments
The National Assembly has moved the 2026 Constitution amendment process to the next stage, transmitting the alteration bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and asking them to communicate their resolutions within 30 days.
However, the 30-day period is an administrative timeframe, not a constitutional deadline, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, has clarified.
*National Assembly
Abimbola Joseph
The National Assembly has moved the 2026 Constitution amendment process to the next stage, transmitting the alteration bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and asking them to communicate their resolutions within 30 days.
However, the 30-day period is an administrative timeframe, not a constitutional deadline, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, has clarified.
The transmission, effected on Wednesday following a directive from the National Assembly leadership, marks the next major stage in the constitutional alteration process, with the proposed amendments now before the state legislatures.
In a statement, Ogunlana said the transmission was made pursuant to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He said the Constitution requires an alteration bill to be approved by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly before the process can proceed.
That means at least 24 state legislatures must endorse the proposed amendments.
The bill was transmitted after both chambers of the National Assembly passed the proposed alterations. Under the constitutional procedure, where an alteration bill originates in one chamber, it must be considered and passed by the other before the agreed text can be sent to the state Houses of Assembly.
The state legislatures are now expected to consider the proposals according to their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly.
Ogunlana stressed that the Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which the state assemblies must communicate their decisions.
“Nevertheless, in the interest of an orderly, coordinated and timely conclusion of the constitutional alteration process, the state Houses of Assembly are expected to consider the Bill and communicate their respective resolutions to the National Assembly within 30 days of receipt,” he said.
He added that the timeframe should not be interpreted as a constitutional deadline.
“For clarity, the 30-day period is an expected administrative timeframe and does not constitute a constitutional deadline,” Ogunlana said.
The National Assembly also said the transmission was not intended to influence how the state legislatures consider the proposals, stressing that the assemblies retained their constitutional independence.
It said the process would be conducted in accordance with the Constitution, due process and the respective legislative responsibilities of the two tiers of the legislature.
The development comes about two weeks after the Senate assured Nigerians that the constitutional amendment process would be completed before the 10th National Assembly’s tenure expires in June 2027.
Senate Committee on Media and Publicity Chairman, Yemi Adaramodu, said the proposed amendments would be passed within the life of the current Assembly, stressing that January 2027 was not the terminal date of the 10th National Assembly.
The Senate has also said the Electoral Act has addressed concerns over the timing of the constitutional review and the January 2027 general elections.
The constitutional review is expected to cover proposals relating to governance, political restructuring and other aspects of Nigeria’s constitutional framework.
With the bill now before the 36 state Houses of Assembly, their decisions will determine whether the proposed alterations can clear the next constitutional hurdle before the current National Assembly completes its tenure.
