The National Assembly has formally advanced the on-going constitutional review process by transmitting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for their review and approval.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, officially forwarded the bill on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, pursuant to directives from the leadership of the National Assembly and in compliance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The decision is also in line with Section 9 of the Constitution, which states that any proposed amendment passed by the National Assembly requires the concurrence, via resolution, of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly — 24 out of 36 — before it can be presented for presidential assent.
While the Constitution sets no statutory deadline for state legislatures to return their votes, the National Assembly leadership has established a 30-day administrative timeframe to encourage an orderly and timely conclusion to the alteration exercise.
In a press statement confirming the development, the Clerk to the National Assembly outlined the expectations and institutional framework governing the next phase of the process.
“The National Assembly recognises the constitutional responsibility vested in the State Houses of Assembly and respects their independence in the consideration of the Bill. The transmission is intended to facilitate the orderly discharge of their constitutional role in the process,” it read in part.
The statement added: “The National Assembly remains committed to ensuring that the constitutional alteration process is conducted in strict compliance with the Constitution and in accordance with the principles of due process, institutional cooperation and respect for the legislative responsibilities of all tiers of the legislature.”
The statement further disclosed that upon receipt of the resolutions of the State Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly would proceed with the necessary steps in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
The transmission comes on the heels of major legislative pushes within both chambers of the National Assembly over recent months to reshape key aspects of national governance.
Central among the legislative proposals in the current alteration cycle is the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.
The bill, which seeks to establish a framework for decentralised policing, has received significant attention following presidential backing and the inauguration of a working group aimed at operationalising a dual policing structure in Nigeria.
Femi Gbajabiamila, who is the Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, said the reform is designed to bring policing closer to Nigerians while building safeguards that can make the system more effective and trusted.
Gbajabiamila said the central question was no longer simply whether policing should be brought closer to the people, but how this could be achieved without replacing existing weaknesses with new ones.
He also said the reform would give state governments a clearer responsibility for the security needs of the people they govern, while ensuring that proximity to communities does not come at the expense of justice or citizens’ rights.
