Despite scheduling voting on key proposals in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution for December 10 and 11, the House of Representatives on Tuesday failed to commence the debate on the constitution review for the third time.

This followed a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji.

It was observed that the session, which lasted from 11:48 a.m. to 1:24 p.m. and was presided over by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, reportedly focused on concerns surrounding the delayed payment of indigenous contractors.

The lawmakers had indicated that the implementation delays of the capital component of the 2025 Appropriation Act were stalling federal projects and increasing the financial strain on contractors reliant on timely disbursements.

Before moving into the executive session, the House began proceedings with the usual formalities, including the recitation of the National Anthem.

Speaker Abbas then directed Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere to move a motion for a closed-door session, which was adopted without objection.

The normal House protocol for admitting non-members was not strictly followed.

The Constitution Review Committee, led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, had earlier insisted that the amendment report was ready for debate.

Key issues slated for discussion include state creation, local government autonomy, electoral reforms, state police, devolution of powers, fiscal restructuring, human rights, and traditional institutions.

However, Tuesday’s executive session once again postponed the process.

Last week Thursday, the House postponed the commencement of debate to allow for further research and consultation.

The decision was reached after some members argued that some of the proposed alterations required further research and consultation with constituents.

While some lawmakers were ready to commence debate, insisting that time was of the essence, others objected, saying the report had not been circulated to all members and that some needed more time to read and digest the proposals before the debate.

The house had earlier scheduled the session for December 3, but it was shifted due to similar complaints

It is unclear whether members of the Green Chamber would go ahead to vote on the bills on Wednesday without debate.

The meeting between the House and finance minister comes after weeks of agitation by indigenous contractors who had barricaded the National Assembly gate, protesting unpaid debts for completed federal projects.

In November, the House suspended plenary for one week to allow the Executive to address the backlog, issuing a seven-day ultimatum to Edun, the Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, and the Accountant-General of the Federation Shamsudeen Ogunjimi. (The Guardian)

Update news