Constitution amendment: Govs, speakers move to harmonise bills

Delta Speaker, Rt. Hon. Guwor Emomotimi Dennis, during plenary

State Houses of Assembly will consult governors before taking final positions on the Constitution amendment bills transmitted to the states, the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Emomotimi Guwor, has said.

Guwor, who is also the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, said the consultation would help lawmakers and governors harmonise their views on the amendment to the Constitution.

He spoke while reacting to the announcement by the Clerk to the National Assembly that the Constitution Review bills, including the State Police Bill, had been transmitted to the state legislatures.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Nkem Nwaeke, the Speaker said his colleagues had taken note of the development but were awaiting the formal copies of the resolutions.

“We are still awaiting formal transmission, and as soon as we receive it, we will do what will be good for the people of Nigeria,” he said.

The Speaker said the Conference would subject the bills to thorough legislative scrutiny after receiving them.

He said the state police proposal required careful consideration because of its implications for governance at the state level.

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Guwor said the proposed engagement with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum was necessary because governors and state lawmakers have constitutional responsibilities in the process of amending the Constitution.

He assured that all speakers would be carried along in the process, adding that the resolutions of the state legislatures would be transmitted to the National Assembly in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The PUNCH reported that the National Assembly announced the transmission of the 2026 Constitution alteration bill to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration, asking them to communicate their resolutions within 30 days.

It also clarified that the timeframe is administrative and not a constitutional deadline.

The transmission, effected on Wednesday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, followed a directive from the leadership of the National Assembly.

The development marks the commencement of the next critical phase of the constitutional amendment process, with the proposed alterations now before the state legislatures whose approval is constitutionally required before the exercise can proceed.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ogunlana said the transmission was made pursuant to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.