Nigeria’s National Assembly has transmitted the 2026 Constitution Alteration Bill to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration and approval.
The transmission was carried out on Wednesday, September 16, by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following a directive from the leadership of the federal legislature. The move marks the next stage in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
The bill, formally known as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, was forwarded to the state legislatures in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Under the constitutional procedure, any proposed alteration to the Constitution requires approval by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, equivalent to 24 state legislatures, before the process can move to the next stage.
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The state assemblies have been asked to consider the proposals according to their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly after completing their deliberations.
Although the National Assembly has requested that the states respond within 30 days, the Clerk clarified that the period is an administrative timeframe rather than a constitutional deadline. The Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which state assemblies must communicate their decisions.
The transmission places the 36 state legislatures at the centre of the next phase of the constitutional review exercise. Their decisions will determine whether the proposed amendments can proceed under the requirements set out in Section 9.
One of the major issues associated with the current constitutional reform process is the proposed establishment of state police, which would require constitutional changes to create a legal framework for a decentralised policing system.
The National Assembly said it recognises the constitutional responsibility and independence of the state legislatures and that the transmission is intended to facilitate an orderly consideration of the proposals.
The next stage will depend on the resolutions returned by the state Houses of Assembly. Once those responses are received, the National Assembly will take further steps in accordance with the constitutional amendment procedure.