Thirty one (31) State Houses of Assembly are foot-dragging in considering the forty four(44) constitution amendments bill presented to them in March, investigations have shown.
Among the bills for constitutional amendments are financial autonomy for judiciary and the local governments, change of name for certain local government areas, and bill to establish state security council.
Only Kogi, Edo, Abia, Katsina, and Ogun States had voted on the various amendments to the constitution, according to the Chairman Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria, Abubakar Suleiman.
Suleiman is also the Speaker of the Bauchi state Assembly
He told newsmen that the state assemblies would object to any amendment “that will not be for the good of the people.’’
The National Assembly voted on the 68 amendments recommended by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives’ Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.
To amend a clause in the Constitution, two-third or four-fifth majority of each of the Senate and the House has to approve the amendment after which it will be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly, where two-third or 24 of the 36 of them have to concur.
The delay in voting by the 31 Assemblies was not unconnected to the timing as most of the legislators were on recess.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Amos Ojo, distributed the copies of the bills to clerks of the state Assemblies at a transmission ceremony in Abuja
“Again, around the time the document was transmitted to State Assemblies, most of the assemblies were on recess and then came the party primaries and other activities that affected legislative activities in assemblies” Suleiman further stated.
Investigations show that about five states have so far passed their Resolutions. Many others are at the verge of concluding the required legislative actions from the state level. We are hopeful that all the State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria will have passed the Resolutions and transmitted the same back to the National Assembly by the first week of August, 2022.
Ogun state Assembly is fully in support of all the 44 amendments.
