Constitution Amendments Move to Final Voting Stage

Nigeria’s Constitution review process entered its closing phase on Monday as federal lawmakers gathered for what they affirmed to be the last joint retreat before voting on major amendment bills. With the review cycle spanning months of consultations and hearings, the leadership announced that the stage of debate had officially ended.

Senator Barau Jibrin, who heads the Senate Committee on the review, told participants that the retreat was convened solely to confirm earlier agreements. He recalled that the Lagos session held a month earlier had already addressed unresolved issues, adding that the committee’s focus is now on preparing the documents for transmission to state assemblies before the year’s end.

His counterpart in the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, said the retreat marks the point at which the process shifts from conversations to concrete legislative action. Kalu explained that inputs from zonal hearings, technical sessions and engagements with political, traditional and civil groups revealed strong nationwide demand for reforms ranging from expanded powers for states to strengthened local government autonomy and improvements in security, elections and gender inclusion.

The lawmakers stressed that the decisive moment will occur in the 36 State Houses of Assembly, which must approve two-thirds of the proposals for any amendment to take effect. Kalu noted that while Abuja initiated the process, its fate now lies with the states, calling them the final custodians of the constitutional reform effort.