Nigeria’s National Assembly has transmitted the 2026 Constitution alteration bill to the Houses of Assembly of all 36 states, opening the next major stage of the country’s constitutional amendment process.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, was transmitted on Wednesday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following a directive from the leadership of the federal legislature.
The move was made in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which sets out the procedure for altering the country’s supreme law.
Under the constitutional process, proposed alterations must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before the National Assembly can proceed with the next stage.
This means at least 24 state legislatures must approve the relevant proposals.
The state assemblies have been asked to consider the bill in accordance with their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly after completing their deliberations.
The Clerk said the state legislatures are expected to communicate their decisions within 30 days of receiving the bill.
However, he stressed that the 30-day period is an administrative timeframe and not a constitutional deadline, as the Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which state assemblies must respond.
The transmission places the 36 state legislatures at the centre of the next phase of the constitutional review exercise, with their decisions expected to determine whether the proposed amendments can advance.
The National Assembly also emphasised that the state Houses of Assembly retain their constitutional responsibility and independence to consider the proposals.
It said the transmission was intended to facilitate an orderly process and that the federal legislature remained committed to complying with the constitutional requirements governing amendments.
The National Assembly will consider its next steps after receiving the resolutions of the state assemblies.
The latest development follows months of work by the 10th National Assembly on proposals to amend various provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
Among the issues linked to the wider constitutional review process are proposals concerning state police, devolution of powers, electoral and judicial reforms, fiscal matters and other aspects of governance. However, the Clerk’s statement on the transmission did not provide a detailed breakdown of all the proposals contained in the bill.
The outcome of the state-level deliberations will therefore be a crucial part of determining whether the proposed constitutional changes can move to the subsequent stages of the amendment process.
