Govs, N’Assembly agree on Constitution review

• Kalu says 161 areas to be amended, seeks early input
• Reps reject bill seeking six-year single tenure for President, govs 

Complete autonomy for local councils, state police, single tenure for President and governors, and rotational presidency, among other items in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution got a boost yesterday as governors of the 36 states agreed to work with the National Assembly for a smooth and successful exercise.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed that the National Assembly was considering amendments to 161 areas in the Constitution.

However, the House rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for Nigeria’s Presidency.

Kalu, who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, led other principal officers to brief the governors at the 11th meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja on the issues for review.

The communique released at the end of the meeting, yesterday, revealed that both parties agreed to establish a “one-stop shop” framework to align state-level priorities with the constitutional review process.

Signed by the Chairman of NGF, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara, the communique also disclosed that governors pledged their support for the initiative and reaffirmed their commitment to actively engage in shaping amendments that strengthen the Constitution.

Kalu told journalists: “We informed them (governors) that we have received about 161 areas to amend in the Constitution, and we are going to give them the breakdown in the coming engagement.”

The communiqué also disclosed that the forum engaged with the Minister of Education on strategies to reposition the education system for improved outcomes.

Key proposals discussed include strengthening collaboration between federal and state governments, improving the quality of girl-child education, integrating vocational training and leveraging data and technology to enhance education management systems.

Governors reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate with the Federal Government and development partners to address these challenges and align efforts towards achieving SDG-4.

BRIEFING newsmen after a closed-door session with the governors from Wednesday night to yesterday morning in Abuja, Kalu said governors were critical stakeholders in the process; hence, the need for their input.

The 10th National Assembly embarked on another Constitution amendment process which is billed to be completed in December 2025 to consider state police, electoral reform, local council autonomy, Diaspora voting, the autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), pre-and post-election concerns, and court rulings on electoral matters among others.

Kalu added, “This won’t be the first and last engagement; we are going to have a couple of engagements. This is how we want to do it, differently from how it had been done.

“To be fair to the governors, they did not dwell on tax reforms. It was generally about the Constitution. They spoke on the local council reforms. We are also not emphatic about state police.”

THE single term bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 others was rejected, yesterday, during a debate on its general principles.

The proposed legislation, which seeks to provide for the rotation of the presidency among the country’s six geopolitical zones, was introduced for a second reading by Ugochinyere.

Presently, the country is practising an ‘oscillational’ presidency between the North and the South.

However, when the bill was put into voice vote by the Speaker, Abbas Tajuddeen, there was a loud ‘Nay’ from the members.

The Speaker, therefore, announced that the ‘Nays’ had it.

Thirty-five legislators had in June under the auspices of Reformed-minded Legislators, said the propositions of the bill would lead to a reduction in the cost of governance.

Ugochinyere added that the move would unite the country and ensure a seamless transition and unprecedented development for the country.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others in the Constitution.

According to the general principles of the bill, the amendments were to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by four-year periodic elections.