11 States Have Signed Constitutional Amendment Bill- Deputy Speaker

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The national assembly says only 11 states have considered and voted on the constitutional amendment bills.

Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president of the senate, said this on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja.

The deputy senate president said the states include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun and Osun.

In March, the senate and house of representatives voted on bills seeking to amend the 1999 constitution.

The red and green chambers agreed on some of the bills and differed on others, while a total of 44 bills were transmitted to the state houses of assembly.

According to sections 9(2) and (3) of the 1999 constitution, two-thirds of all the state assemblies — 24 states — are required for each amendment to be approved.

The 44 bills transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly seek to, amongst others: strengthen the legislature’s authority to enable it to serve as an effective pillar of checks and balance to the executive, strengthen independent constitutional bodies, create and strengthen a culture of good governance, address issues of revenue leakages and unbridled government spending, and enhance the administration of justice in Nigeria.

The deputy senate president says the 11 states “have successfully considered, voted on, and forwarded their resolutions on the 44 bills to the national assembly”.

Saying more worrisome is that we are still expecting the receipt of the resolutions of the remaining house of assembly.

“We received a letter from the conference of speakers of state assemblies informing the national assembly that the remaining states will not act on the 44 bills unless the assembly passes four new bills they have proposed in the letter.”