Nigeria’s parliament sends constitutional amendment bill to states — Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria’s National Assembly has sent a bill on the sixth amendment to the 1999 Constitution to the legislative assemblies of all 36 states for consideration and approval. The Clerk of the National Assembly asked state lawmakers to communicate their decisions within 30 days of receiving the document.
The start of the next stage of the constitutional amendment procedure was announced by National Assembly Clerk Kamoru Ogunlana, Premium Times Nigeria reports. The document was sent to the states on September 16, 2026, in accordance with Article 9 of Nigeria’s Constitution.
Proposal for state police
According to the publication, among more than 30 proposals to amend the Constitution, only the bill on establishing state police has already been considered and approved by both chambers of the National Assembly — the Senate and the House of Representatives. At the same time, Ogunlana did not specifically name this initiative among the provisions of the transmitted bill in his statement.
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For a proposal to become part of the Constitution, it must be approved by at least two-thirds of state legislative assemblies — 24 out of 36. Before being sent to the states, a constitutional amendment bill must also receive two-thirds majority support in each chamber of the National Assembly.
Timeframe without a constitutional deadline
The Clerk of the National Assembly clarified that the Constitution does not set a specific timeframe within which state legislative assemblies must provide decisions on constitutional amendments. The proposed 30 days are an administrative guideline rather than a constitutional deadline.
Other initiatives being considered by parliament concern local government autonomy, special parliamentary seats for women, independent candidacies, constitutional recognition of traditional rulers, and the establishment of an electoral offences commission. They have not yet completed the necessary legislative stages in the National Assembly and therefore cannot be sent to the states.
