The 36 State Houses of Assembly have been given 30 days to consider and transmit their resolutions on the proposed 2026 constitutional amendments to the National Assembly.
The 30-day period, however, is an administrative timeline and not a constitutional deadline, the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, has clarified.
The development followed the formal transmission on Wednesday of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the 36 state legislatures.
Ogunlana said the transmission was carried out in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly for a constitutional amendment to proceed.
He explained that while the state assemblies were expected to work within the 30-day administrative window, the Constitution did not prescribe a specific timeframe for them to communicate their decisions.
The Clerk urged each state legislature to subject the bill to its established legislative procedures before forwarding its resolution to the National Assembly.
He also emphasised that the transmission did not undermine the constitutional independence of the state legislatures.
Rather, he said, it was intended to enable the assemblies to perform their constitutional responsibilities under Section 9.
The National Assembly said it remained committed to ensuring that the amendment process was conducted in accordance with constitutional provisions, due process and the respective legislative responsibilities of the federal and state governments.
It said further action would be taken after the resolutions of the 36 State Houses of Assembly are received.