ABUJA — Nigeria’s constitutional reform process has entered a critical new phase following the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to all 36 State Houses of Assembly.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, transmitted the bill on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, following a directive from the leadership of the National Assembly.
The transmission activates the next stage of the constitutional amendment process, under which state legislatures are required to consider the proposed alterations and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly.
The development is being closely watched because the Constitution requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly — 24 states — for most constitutional amendments to proceed. Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution sets out the special procedure for altering the Constitution.
Ogunlana said the National Assembly had asked the state legislatures to consider the bill in accordance with their respective legislative procedures and forward their decisions after completing deliberations.
30-day timeframe is not constitutional deadline
The Clerk clarified that the Constitution does not prescribe a specific period within which the State Houses of Assembly must communicate their resolutions.
However, the National Assembly has established 30 days from receipt of the bill as an administrative timeframe for the state legislatures to complete their consideration and communicate their positions.
The timeframe, he stressed, should not be interpreted as a constitutional deadline.
The distinction is significant because the constitutional requirement is the securing of the necessary state-level approval, rather than compliance with a particular number of days.
Ogunlana said the National Assembly recognised the constitutional responsibility and institutional independence of the State Houses of Assembly.
He added that the process would be conducted in accordance with constitutional requirements, due process, institutional cooperation and the respective legislative responsibilities of the national and state legislatures.
Upon receiving the resolutions from the states, the National Assembly will take the next steps required under the Constitution.
12 areas covered by the constitutional review
The Sixth Alteration Bill covers 12 broad areas of governance and institutional reform.
They include:
- Electoral reforms
- Judicial reforms
- Security and policing
- Local government administration
- Inclusive governance and citizenship
- Legislative reforms
- Devolution of powers
- Human rights
- Fiscal reforms
- Strengthening of institutions
- Traditional institutions
- Creation of states and local governments
The breadth of the proposals means that the state-level consideration could have implications for Nigeria’s electoral system, fiscal relations between the federal and state governments, policing, local government administration and the distribution of constitutional powers.
The National Assembly’s own explanation of the constitutional amendment process confirms that, after passage by the two chambers, constitutional alteration bills move to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for ratification, with at least 24 states required for the relevant threshold.
State police becomes a major test of the reform process
One of the most prominent issues within the current constitutional reform cycle is the proposed establishment of state police.
The House of Representatives passed the executive-backed State Police Establishment Bill in July after 311 lawmakers participated in the vote. The vote included 276 members physically present and 35 participating virtually.
The proposal seeks to create a constitutional framework for state-controlled police services operating alongside the Nigeria Police Force.
The move followed the Senate’s consideration of a similar proposal and subsequent action by the House on the executive version of the bill.
The state police proposal has also been linked to the Federal Government’s broader effort to decentralise policing and give subnational governments a greater role in addressing security challenges.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has said the objective is to bring policing closer to communities while establishing safeguards around accountability, justice and citizens’ rights.
What happens next
With the bill now before the 36 State Houses of Assembly, the next major hurdle is state-level ratification.
Under Section 9 of the Constitution, an ordinary constitutional alteration requires approval by not less than two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, in addition to the required supermajority approval at the National Assembly.
For the 36-state requirement, that translates to at least 24 State Houses of Assembly.
The outcome of the state-level process will therefore determine whether the proposals contained in the Sixth Alteration Bill can move to the subsequent constitutional stages.
The National Assembly has emphasised that the state legislatures retain their constitutional responsibility and independence in considering the proposals.
The transmission marks a significant shift in the reform process: after months of consideration at the federal legislative level, the 36 state legislatures are now central to determining which elements of the proposed constitutional changes can
