The National Assembly has transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval, advancing the ongoing constitutional review process.

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, formally forwarded the bill on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, following directives from the leadership of the National Assembly and in compliance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The move is also in line with Section 9 of the Constitution, which requires any proposed amendment passed by the National Assembly to receive the concurrence of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly — 24 of the 36 legislatures — before it can be presented for presidential assent.

Although the Constitution sets no statutory deadline for state legislatures to return their votes, the National Assembly leadership has established a 30-day administrative timeframe to encourage an orderly and timely conclusion to the amendment process.

In a press statement confirming the development, the Clerk outlined the expectations and institutional framework governing the next phase of the process.

“The National Assembly recognises the constitutional responsibility vested in the State Houses of Assembly and respects their independence in the consideration of the Bill. The transmission is intended to facilitate the orderly discharge of their constitutional role in the process,” the statement read in part.

“The National Assembly remains committed to ensuring that the constitutional alteration process is conducted in strict compliance with the Constitution and in accordance with the principles of due process, institutional cooperation and respect for the legislative responsibilities of all tiers of the legislature.”

The statement added that, upon receipt of the resolutions of the state Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly would take the necessary steps in accordance with the Constitution.

The transmission follows major legislative efforts in both chambers of the National Assembly in recent months to reshape key aspects of national governance.

A central proposal in the current amendment cycle is the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026.

The bill seeks to establish a framework for decentralised policing and has attracted significant attention following presidential backing and the inauguration of a working group aimed at operationalising a dual policing structure in Nigeria.

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, said the reform was designed to bring policing closer to Nigerians while establishing safeguards to make the system more effective and trusted.

Gbajabiamila said the central question was no longer simply whether policing should be brought closer to the people, but how this could be achieved without replacing existing weaknesses with new ones.

He added that the reform would give state governments clearer responsibility for the security needs of the people they govern, while ensuring that proximity to communities did not come at the expense of justice or citizens’ rights.