The House of Representatives on Thursday suspended consideration of the constitution review bills, postponing deliberations to a later legislative day to allow members adequate time to study the committee reports.

The delay shifts the long-anticipated debate to next week, despite earlier assurances that the chamber would devote three consecutive legislative days to the exercise. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, had previously indicated that debates would span Tuesday to Thursday of this week, concluding with a final position the following week.

The chamber, however, focused on other legislative matters earlier in the week, leaving the constitution review items pending. On Wednesday, Mr. Kalu presented the committee’s reports, and Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that consideration would commence on Thursday.

As proceedings began, Inuwa Garba of the PDP representing Gombe raised concerns that many lawmakers had yet to receive printed copies of the constitution review documents. He noted that the papers were only distributed after members had already taken their seats in the Committee of the Whole, limiting their ability to make informed contributions. Garba urged a suspension of the exercise, a position immediately supported by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, who said, “When we return, we will be fully prepared.”

Some lawmakers argued against delaying the debate. Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano) acknowledged the concerns but cautioned against persistent postponements, stating, “This is an important national assignment. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, but we cannot continue postponing.” Ibrahim Isiaka (APC, Ogun) similarly highlighted the significance of the constitution to Nigeria’s democracy, appealing to the Clerk of the House to ensure full document circulation before the next sitting.

A majority of lawmakers supported the call to suspend deliberations. Mr. Kalu subsequently put the matter to a voice vote, with the House voting overwhelmingly to defer consideration until a future legislative day. He directed the clerk to ensure timely distribution of the documents, warning, “It will no longer be acceptable that when we meet again, members do not have the copies.

Recall that The Guardian had reported that the House of Representatives may cast its vote on the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution on 10 December 2025, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Kalu, had announced last Thursday.

Speaking during plenary, Kalu said the chamber would likely dedicate three consecutive legislative days to conclude debate on the proposed amendments before taking a final position the following week.

He stated, “We will confirm to you before that Tuesday if we are taking this decision. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be for the debates because we are looking at the upper week to vote on the Constitution, which is about December 10, before we wind down this session.”

According to Kalu, the House has completed the technical work required for this phase of the review, and the committee is preparing the final documents to be presented to lawmakers. The vote, if held on schedule, would precede the chamber’s end-of-year break.

The process will continue in the Senate, after which harmonised positions will be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly for concurrence as required by the Constitution. Amendments approved by at least 24 states would return to the National Assembly for final certification and transmission to the President for assent.