Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process entered its crucial stage on Monday as the House of Representatives and the Senate convened a joint retreat with the Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly in Abuja.
The event, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel on Monday, brought together federal legislators, state-level presiding officers and members of the Constitution Review Committees of both chambers.
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It marked the 2nd joint retreat on the review of the 1999 Constitution, and served as the final major engagement before the National Assembly concludes voting on the constitution alteration bills.
At the opening of the retreat, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, told Speakers of State Assemblies that they now hold the critical power to determine whether the long-awaited constitutional amendments will stand or fall.
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The lawmakers made it clear that the success of the ambitious reforms now nearing completion will depend largely on the actions of state parliaments in the coming weeks.
Mr Jibrin, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, said the retreat is not another round of deliberations but a session for adopting positions already agreed in Lagos.
Mr Barau added that the retreat is designed to ensure that state legislatures, the “critical and strategic partners,” are fully carried along before bills meeting the constitutional threshold are transmitted to them.
He emphasised that the committees intend to ensure the transmission of the bills to the State Assemblies this year.
In his closing remarks, Mr Kalu said the Constitution under review is “the soul of our Republic,” adding that the amendments must reflect the aspirations of Nigerians for justice, equity, credible elections and development that reaches the grassroots.
“To the Speakers of State Assemblies: go back to your states as ambassadors of reform. To the Governors: this is not an attempt to undermine executive authority but an effort to strengthen federalism. To my colleagues: this is our moment,” he said.
“With unity of purpose, we can deliver a constitution that secures Nigeria’s future,” he added.
On his part, Mr Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, said the retreat marks the final stage before voting on the constitution alteration bills begins.
“This is the final retreat before the historic voting on the constitution alteration bills. After today, we move from deliberation to decision. History is watching us. Over 200 million Nigerians anticipate direction from this Assembly. Our people yearn for reforms that devolve power and bring governance closer to the grassroots,” he said.
Mr Kalu explained that the review process had involved an intense series of engagements across the country.
He noted that since the commencement of the review exercise, both chambers had recorded significant and measurable progress.
Three earlier committee retreats were devoted to developing the technical capacity required for the reforms, while six zonal public hearings provided opportunities for Nigerians from all geopolitical zones to voice their expectations.
According to the deputy speaker, the engagements revealed a clear national demand for reforms that empower local governments, improve electoral processes, strengthen fiscal federalism, and promote gender equality and inclusion.
He said that thousands of citizens, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, women’s groups, youth leaders, political parties, professional bodies, state executives, and security agencies made submissions on the areas of the constitution they believed required urgent amendment.
He also described the October 2025 Lagos retreat as a “defining moment” that produced a broad consensus on priority amendments.
Addressing state speakers, Mr Kalu stressed that Section 9 of the Constitution makes state-level approval indispensable.
“I cannot over-emphasise the importance of state-level ownership in this constitutional review process.
“No matter how brilliant or how necessary, or how popular our amendments may be, they will not become law without the support of at least 24 out of 36 State Assemblies. State domestication is the constitutional gateway. The success or failure of this process will be determined not here in Abuja but in the 36 State Assemblies across the federation,” he said.
He added that all governors will be formally briefed on 26 November.
The bills
Although the review exercise comprises 87 amendment bills, three clusters have emerged as the defining battlegrounds that could significantly reshape Nigeria’s governance structure if approved.
State policing: A major proposal seeks to formally introduce state and community police forces. The push follows growing concerns that Nigeria’s centralised policing architecture has failed to curb widespread insecurity, leaving communities exposed to insurgency, banditry and kidnappings.
Reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities: Another landmark provision proposes constitutionally mandated reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities in the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly. Nigeria ranks among the lowest globally in female political representation, with women holding less than six per cent of legislative seats.
Local government autonomy: The amendment aims to grant local governments full financial and administrative independence. It specifically seeks to strengthen the local government system by establishing distinct executive and legislative arms, creating an independent electoral body for local government elections and ensuring complete financial autonomy.
Overall, the 87 proposed amendments are organised around broad reform themes that cut across electoral and judicial reforms, the devolution of powers, the institutional strengthening of traditional institutions, human rights, and citizenship and indigenity.
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