From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
There are indications that the National Assembly may miss the December 2025 target for the completion of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
This followed the inability of the House of Representatives to meet major timelines set for the constitution alteration exercise.
The missed timelines include the production of the first draft of the Constitution in August 2024, and second draft in October, as well as commencement of zonal engagements on the constitution alterations from October 14.
The House is proposing a bill to provide for timelines for the passage of constitution alteration bills. The proposed legislation, according to its explanatory memorandum, seeks to eliminate undue delays in the constitutional amendment processes.
Titled, “A bill for an act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 to provide timelines for the passage of constitution alteration bills and for related matters” (HB 1155), the proposed legislation is sponsored by Mansur Soro and two others.
The Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who doubles as the co-chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on Constitution Review, had on February 29, disclosed that the parliament hopes to complete the current constitutional alteration by December 2025.
Kalu had noted that as part of efforts to complete the exercise before electioneering for the 2027 general elections, the first and second drafts of the constitution would be ready in August and October 2024, respectively. According to him, there would be harmonisation of all the issues between February 27 and 28, 2025.
The deputy speaker had said: “Let me mention that our target, the first draft of the constitution will be out in August 2024. Second draft will be out in October 2024. We will commence zonal inputs from October 2024, we’ll keep collecting inputs from citizens from October 14, 2024 as we prepare for the last version or last draft copy of the constitution.
“We are hoping that there will be a harmonisation of the issues, on February 27 and 28, 2025. We are also optimistic that by May 12, 2025, we’ll have the final clean copy of amendments bills agreed on. And we are looking at May 22, 2025, as a time when we will have the final report laid for consideration and voting.
“This is to say that members will be voting on the work we have done on this important date of May 22, 2025. We believe that around May 29 or June 13, knowing full well what these important dates mean to Nigerians, we will expect the final concurrence of state assemblies secured.
“If it delays more than that, it will not go beyond August of 2025 because we believe that by August 2025, the president will receive the bills that will be presented to him for presidential assent. So, our targets are that the transmission of bills to Mr President for assent will take place in August 2025.
“And with this, we are sure that our target to get this job done in 24 months will be achieved if we send it to Mr President by August 2025 and hope that by December we will have a constitution that’s fully amended. “
However, Daily Sun checks revealed that apart from missing the timelines for the first and second drafts, as well as commencement of zonal engagements, the House is yet to consider several bills seeking fundamental alterations to the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Some of the key constitutional alteration bills before the parliamentary includes a proposal for state police, as well as bills for return to parliamentary system of government, single term of six years, rotational presidency and governorship seats among others.
However, while the state police bills have been passed for second reading, the other proposed legislations for the return to parliamentary system of government, six-year single term and rotation of the presidential and governorship seats are awaiting second reading.
When contacted, the chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, requested that our correspondent send him a WhatsApp message. However, Rotimi was yet to respond to the message as of the time of filing this report.
The bill seeking to provide a timeline for the passage of constitution alteration bills is proposing to alter Section 9 of the Constitution to introduce subsection 5, to provides “that a bill seeking to alter a provision of the constitution shall stay at the committal stage for the purpose of public hearing for a period not exceeding four months from the date when referral was made by the House of the National Assembly, where the bill originated from.
The proposed subsection 6 stipulates that a “Constitutional alteration bill passed by both Houses of the National Assembly shall be considered for ratification by the 36 state Houses of Assembly, within a period not exceeding three months from the date of transmission.”