Only 11 State Houses of Assembly, out of Nigeria’s 36 states, have accepted 44 constitution amendment bills sent by the National Assembly.
The Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee, Ovie Omo-Agege, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja.
Recall that on March 1st, 2022, the bill was passed at the National Assembly and transmitted to the 36 state legislatures for approval. Omo-Agege noted that the 25 other State Houses of Assembly refused to act on the bills.
What Omo-Agege is saying
According to Omo-Agege, the 25 other State Houses of Assembly sent a letter to the committee saying that they will not act on the bill until four new bills are passed by the NASS.
Nairametrics understands that the four new bills include the establishment of a state judicial council, the establishment of state police, the streamlining of the procedure for removing presiding officers of state houses of assembly, and a bill to institutionalize legislative bureaucracy in the constitution.
“It is clear that this letter is not in keeping with the obligation of the constitution. We are aware of the undue interference with legislative processes and the political culture of some state houses of assembly by some state governors.
“No doubt, some state governors have worked tirelessly to turn the Conference of Speakers and some state assemblies into political puppets, thereby undermining and delegitimizing the legislative institution at the state level. This interference has been ramped up, especially in opposition to the bills granting financial and administrative autonomy to local governments,” Omo-Agege said.
What you should know
- Constitution amendment bills require the approval of two-thirds (24) of the 36 state houses of assembly before the bills are presented for the president’s assent.
- The 11 states that have approved the bill include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun states.
