Nigeria’s National Assembly has transmitted the 1999 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, forwarded the bill on Wednesday, September 16, following directives from the National Assembly leadership and in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Under the constitutional amendment procedure, a proposal passed by the National Assembly requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, representing 24 of the 36 states, before it can be presented to the President for assent.
Although the Constitution does not prescribe a deadline for state legislatures to submit their decisions, the National Assembly leadership has set a 30-day administrative timeframe for the states to complete the process.
The National Assembly said the transmission respects the constitutional responsibilities and independence of the state legislatures.
It also said that after receiving the resolutions from the Houses of Assembly, it would take the next steps required under the Constitution.
The latest development follows several months of constitutional reform efforts by both chambers of the National Assembly.
One of the major proposals in the current amendment exercise is the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, which seeks to provide a constitutional framework for decentralised policing.
The state police proposal has received presidential backing, with a working group established to develop a framework for a dual policing structure.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill is chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Gbajabiamila said the proposed reform is intended to bring policing closer to communities while establishing safeguards around effectiveness, justice and citizens’ rights.
