•House of Representatives
The Constitution Review Committee of the House of Representatives is set to meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) on July 23, 2025, to present bills currently under consideration and seek their support for passage.
The committee will also meet with the Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly in a joint retreat with Senate Constitution Review members to harmonise bills and ensure consistency across the country, reports The Guardian.
The House Committee has slated an engagement with media executives, including the Guild of Editors, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Nigerian Broadcasters Association (NBN); civil society organisations; and the diplomatic community, among others, to facilitate public discussions and education on constitutional issues, promoting transparency and accountability in the review process.
The meetings are a part of the committee’s efforts to ensure the successful passage of key bills in the review by December 2025.
The Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman, Constitution Review Committee, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made the disclosures while unveiling a detailed timeline of activities at a meeting of the panel yesterday held at the National Assembly, Abuja.
He said: “We urge members to work assiduously to ensure that the current bills before the Committee are passed by December 2025, while also considering the possibility of a second round of amendments, as new bills are still being sponsored by members.
“Steady progress is being made on our work plan implementation, and our targets are achievable. However, there are some crucial activities that ought to be accomplished within the given timeframe.
“The second meeting/engagement with the Nigerian Governors Forum is expected to hold on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, to present to them the bills currently under consideration as requested during previous engagement, seek their support on the proposed amendments, and secure buy-in and backing for the passage of contentious bills.
“A joint retreat of Senate and House Constitution Review Members with Speakers/Clerks of the 36 State Houses of Assembly to harmonise bills will hold Thursday, September 25, to Sunday, September 28, 2025.
“There will be a Constitution Review Committee Diplomatic Dinner (June 20, 2025) to seek support and collaboration from the diplomatic community on some specific thematic areas like gender, security architecture, and state policing to promote global best practices.
“There will also be an engagement with Civil Society Organisations, Community Based Organisations as part of National Assembly Open Week: (Thursday, July 3, 2025, NASS Complex; Abuja).
“The engagement will bring expertise and alternative perspectives to the constitutional review process, helping to shape our legislative decisions by highlighting deficiencies and proposing further debates.
“It will also promote transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in the processes by ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and engaged.
“Engagement with Media Executives: (Guild of Editors, NUJ, NBAN etc.) will hold on Tuesday, July 8, or Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Abuja to facilitate public discussions, debates, and education on constitutional issues, helping to build consensus and foster a sense of ownership among citizens.
“The media can play a vital role in ensuring the constitution review process is inclusive, transparent, and the public is well-informed.”
Kalu also gave a timeline of the anticipated public and national hearings on the bills as well as a meeting with the 18 registered political parties in the country, saying that the idea is to ultimately aggregate the views of Nigerians.
“As discussed in our previous meetings, the committee is poised to subject the 87 prioritised Bills that have passed second reading to Public Hearings in each of the six geopolitical zones.
“Zonal Chairmen and their Deputies are expected to liaise with States under their jurisdictions to ensure active participation in their respective zones.
“The hearings will hold as follows: Northern Geopolitical Zones—Friday, July 11, to Sunday, July 13, 2025; Southern Geopolitical Zones—Friday, July 18, to Sunday, July 20, 2025.
“National Public Hearing—Monday, July 21, 2025. Engagement with Nigeria Political Parties (18 Registered Political Parties Leadership) is expected to hold on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Abuja,” he said.
The deputy speaker also stated that the House will hold a one-week plenary debate on the bills, while voting on them is expected to hold on October 14, 2025, just as transmission of the bills to the State Assembly is also expected to hold on October 30, 2025.
“One-week plenary debate on the Constitution Review Bills to familiarise members with their contents in preparation for the voting is expected to hold on Tuesday, October 7, to Thursday, October 9, 2025. Voting in the Plenary—Tuesday, October 14, 2025. The Secretariat Retreat to Produce Clean Copy—Thursday, October 16, to Sunday, October 19, 2025, while transmission to States: (at a ceremony in Transcorp with the leadership of the Constitution Review Committee of the House and Senate with Speakers/Clerks of the state Houses of Assembly) is expected to hold on Thursday, October 30, 2025,” Kalu said.
