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 consultations, including power devolution, fiscal federalism, electoral reforms, state police, and reserved seats for women.
According to committee leaders, the process has now entered its concluding phase with no further submissions to be entertained.
The Senate Deputy President and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the meeting signalled the completion of the committee’s assignment ahead of the voting stage.
“Our 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,” he said.
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.
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.
“This is the final retreat before the historic voting on the constitution alteration bills. After today, we move from deliberation to decision. We move from consultation to legislative action. We move from debate to delivery,” he said.
Kalu noted that the committee’s work had been extensive—spanning six zonal public hearings, three technical retreats, and consultations with governors, political party leaders, security agencies, traditional rulers, women groups, and civil society organisations.
From these engagements, he said, Nigerians expressed a clear demand for reforms that will “devolve more powers to states, guarantee local government autonomy, strengthen state policing and internal security, ensure credible elections, deepen fiscal federalism and expand gender representation.”
Both Jibrin and Kalu emphasised that attention now shifts to the State Houses of Assembly, whose approval—two-thirds of all state legislatures—is required under Section 9 of the Constitution.
Kalu said, “The 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.”
Senator Barau added that the retreat was intentionally designed to align state lawmakers with the committee’s work before the bills are formally transmitted to them.
Kalu also disclosed that all state governors would be briefed on Wednesday to secure support at the executive level and prevent political obstacles.
“This is not to undermine executive authority,” he said, “but to strengthen federalism and deliver the democracy Nigerians deserve. History is watching us. Over 200 million Nigerians anticipate direction from this Assembly,” he said.
He urged Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly to return to their states as “ambassadors of reform,” and called on federal lawmakers to remain available for the last stage of the process.
“This is our moment. Let us rise to it,” he added.
With deliberations concluded, the committee’s sub-reports will be harmonised and presented for voting in both chambers—a 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.
