By Ade Oyeyemi
The National Assembly has said it has so far transmitted only the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish State Police Services to the 36 state Houses of Assembly.
The clarification was issued on Tuesday amid reports suggesting that lawmakers had forwarded all the proposed Constitution Alteration Bills currently under consideration to the state legislatures.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, said in a statement that the State Police Bill remained the only amendment proposal sent to the states for consideration.
The statement, titled, “National Assembly Clarifies Transmission of Constitution Alteration Bill to State Houses of Assembly,” was issued to clear up what the legislature described as a misconception over the status of the proposed amendments.
Ogunlana recalled that the National Assembly had announced on September 16 that it transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the state legislatures.
The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters.
The Clerk said the transmission of the bill should not be interpreted as meaning that all the other constitutional amendment proposals had also been forwarded to the states.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is only this particular Constitution Alteration Bill that has so far been transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly,” he said.
“It is therefore incorrect to suggest or create the impression that all the Constitution Alteration Bills before the National Assembly have been transmitted to the States.”
According to Ogunlana, the decision to give priority to the State Police proposal was influenced by public concerns over insecurity and widespread calls for reforms to the policing system.
He explained that the other constitutional amendment bills would be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly only after the Senate and House of Representatives had passed them in identical form.
“The other Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bills before the National Assembly will be transmitted to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 States of the Federation upon their passage in identical form by both Chambers of the National Assembly, in accordance with the constitutional amendment process,” he stated.
The National Assembly is currently considering a number of constitutional amendment proposals covering different areas of governance and the country’s political and administrative structure.
The State Police proposal has attracted particular attention as lawmakers and other stakeholders continue to debate possible changes to the existing policing arrangement.
The legislature said it would continue to handle the amendment process in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
It also appealed to the public and media organisations to rely on official communications from the National Assembly for accurate information on the progress and transmission of constitutional amendment bills.
