The National Assembly has drawn criticism from a cross-section of Nigerians over delays in amending the 1999 Constitution, with critics accusing lawmakers of prioritising less pressing matters and political considerations over the timely passage of key reforms.

With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, uncertainty continues to trail the ongoing constitutional amendment process, particularly as deliberations on several key alteration bills remain deadlocked.

The delay has heightened anxiety among political stakeholders, civil society groups and reform advocates, who fear that time may be running out to conclude the legislative process in a manner that would allow new provisions to take effect ahead of the polls.

Of particular concern are proposals seeking to introduce independent candidacy into Nigeria’s electoral framework and the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, both widely regarded as transformative reforms aimed at deepening inclusivity and expanding democratic participation.

Proponents argue that independent candidacy would open up the political space to qualified individuals who may not wish to contest under established party structures, while the reserved seats initiative is designed to address the longstanding underrepresentation of women in elective offices.

However, the current stalemate surrounding the constitutional alteration bills has cast doubt on whether these critical clauses can be finalised, harmonised and approved in time.

Given the rigorous constitutional amendment procedure, which requires endorsement by both chambers of the National Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of state assemblies (24), there are concerns that any prolonged delay could effectively shut the window for implementation before the 2027 elections.

There is growing apprehension that unless urgent consensus is reached and legislative momentum restored, these anticipated reforms may fail to scale through in time, thereby denying potential independent candidates and aspiring female politicians the opportunity to participate under the proposed framework in the upcoming general elections.

Two days ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu urged members of the 10th National Assembly to complete the amendment of the 1999 Constitution in order to regularise the creation of state police.

He noted that the Constitution should provide the framework for securing Nigeria’s forests and protecting citizens from the prevailing climate of fear, stressing, “What I am asking for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the Constitution to incorporate the state police.”

Coming at a time when the National Assembly has exceeded 75 per cent of its legislative term, the President’s call has been interpreted by some as an indirect rebuke of federal lawmakers for not prioritising such a crucial agenda after many failed attempts by previous assemblies.

Some observers have, however, suggested that the President may have been waiting for his party to secure an absolute majority in both chambers of the bicameral legislature, as well as control of more than 24 state legislatures, before urging lawmakers to take decisive action.

On the issue of state police, which the President appears passionate about, the constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as approval by not fewer than 24 state assemblies.

The sluggish approach of the National Assembly to reviewing Nigeria’s grundnorm over the years reflects what critics describe as lawmakers’ reluctance to address fundamental issues of statecraft, a situation that has intensified calls for restructuring the country’s governance system.

Stakeholders have attributed the prolonged delay in delivering an amended Constitution to a combination of factors, warning that even if the review process is revived by the current National Assembly, its completion could be hampered by the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

However, a former Chief of Staff at the Oyo State Government House, Prof Gbade Ojo, attributed the delay in amending the Constitution to political considerations.

Ojo said, “The idea of political and fiscal restructuring is indeed a fluke after all. Whether with Akpabio at the helm of affairs or not, no first-term president will pursue restructuring with zeal out of morbid fear of losing election.

“To expect radical changes at all, we may need to await Tinubu’s second coming. Or else the North, benefiting from a system robbing Peter to pay Paul, will kick against it by voting out a wrongly perceived Yoruba government.”

The National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, expressed grave dismay over the development, describing the stagnation of Nigeria’s constitutional review process as alarming and accusing the National Assembly of betraying the national interest.

He challenged the leadership of the National Assembly, the President, state governors and other political stakeholders to rise above partisan considerations and urgently prioritise the constitutional review process.

“The time for excuses is over. Nigerians deserve a Constitution that reflects true federalism, not one frozen in military-era distortions,” he stated, urging citizens and civil society groups to continue holding leaders accountable. He also expressed hope that the country’s leadership would find the courage to act in the national interest.

Ameh, who spoke to The Guardian in Abuja yesterday, observed that the constitutional amendment exercise, initially launched with nationwide public hearings and widespread public enthusiasm, has degenerated into “legislative inertia and political indifference.”

He remarked that critical reform proposals — including devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, state police, local government autonomy and electoral reforms — have been abandoned to “gather dust” at the National Assembly.

He said: “The nation watches in dismay as lawmakers appear more preoccupied with self-serving schemes, patronage and short-term power games than with building a functional federation. This is not leadership; it is abdication.”

Ameh warned that continued delay in amending the Constitution threatens the long-standing demand for restructuring, noting that without constitutional backing, calls for true federalism remain empty rhetoric.

While insisting that Nigeria’s over-centralised structure continues to fuel inefficiency, insecurity, ethnic tension and underdevelopment, the CUPP scribe stressed that failure to act only preserves a dysfunctional status quo that benefits a privileged few.

“By stalling the review process, the National Assembly is effectively shutting the door on meaningful restructuring and condemning Nigerians to the same structural failures that have plagued the country for decades,” he declared.

The CUPP secretary also criticised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the situation as particularly disappointing given the ruling party’s historical stance on restructuring.

He recalled how the All Progressives Congress and Tinubu himself had, while in opposition, passionately advocated fiscal federalism, state police and devolution of powers, noting: “Today, those progressive ideals appear to have lost urgency.”

Ameh stated that recent calls for state police reforms ring hollow without sustained legislative momentum, warning that such inconsistency undermines public trust and reinforces the perception that reformist rhetoric is merely deployed for electoral advantage.

Failure to amend the Constitution before the 2027 general elections, Ameh cautioned, could seriously undermine the credibility of future polls, since, according to him, “without reforms to curb money politics, election violence and excessive central control, Nigeria risks repeating a cycle of manipulation, insecurity and voter disenfranchisement.”

“A constitution unfit for purpose perpetuates democratic instability and deepens public cynicism, particularly among young Nigerians yearning for genuine change,” he noted.

Delayed constitution review: Reform fatigue or pre-2027 calculation

For a country where “restructuring” has become a permanent feature of political vocabulary, the renewed stalling of constitutional amendment at the National Assembly is more than a routine legislative delay. It is a political signal.

For over a decade, calls for fiscal federalism, state police and devolution of powers have animated elite discourse. From the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan to successive party manifestoes, restructuring has been framed as the pathway to national cohesion and efficiency. Yet, once again, constitutional review appears trapped in inertia.

The immediate implication is stark: restructuring remains rhetorically powerful but institutionally fragile. Constitutional amendment in Nigeria is deliberately rigorous — requiring two-thirds support in the National Assembly and endorsement by at least 24 state assemblies. Beyond these procedural thresholds, however, lies a deeper issue: the redistribution of power is politically costly.

True federalism would recalibrate revenue flows, alter the security architecture and expand subnational autonomy. For many within the ruling elite — across party lines — central control remains strategically useful.

The delay, therefore, reinforces suspicions that while restructuring is electorally attractive, it is politically inconvenient.

For the Tinubu administration, the optics are delicate. As opposition figures in the pre-2015 era, leaders who later coalesced into the All Progressives Congress (APC) vigorously championed fiscal federalism and state policing. Bola Tinubu himself had long positioned true federalism as a corrective to over-centralisation.

Now in office, the reform emphasis has been largely economic: fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification and revenue recalibration. Political restructuring, by contrast, has receded into the background.

There are two possible readings. The first is strategic caution. With inflationary pressures and the pains of social adjustment still biting, the presidency may be unwilling to ignite another round of political contestation over devolution and security powers.

Reacting to the issue, the National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Achike Chude, cautioned against rushing to the conclusion that the National Assembly has completely abandoned the ongoing constitutional review ahead of the next general election cycle. However, he warned that if lawmakers have indeed allowed the process to stall, it would represent yet another missed opportunity in a reform journey that has dragged on for over two decades.

Chude noted that since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999, attempts to substantially amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have repeatedly stumbled at critical stages. Key proposals, ranging from fiscal federalism and devolution of powers to the creation of state police and clearer revenue allocation formulas, have either been diluted or left unresolved. While incremental amendments have been passed over the years, he argued that the structural questions at the heart of Nigeria’s governance crisis remain largely untouched.

He observed that political actors have historically prioritised electioneering calculations over institutional reform. In his view, as the 2027 general elections draw closer, legislators appear once again consumed by alignments, defections and primary contests, pushing constitutional amendments down the legislative agenda. Such a pattern, he suggested, reinforces public cynicism about the sincerity of the political class in addressing systemic governance challenges.

On what the development signals about the administration of President Bola Tinubu, Chude offered a nuanced assessment. He acknowledged that Tinubu had long championed state policing and broader federal restructuring, particularly during his years in opposition. However, he maintained that leadership in office demands greater assertiveness. According to him, the President now has both the political capital and institutional leverage to drive reforms more forcefully than when he advocated from outside the executive arm.

Chude further argued that the current constitutional review framework was itself a compromise. Many civil society groups and constitutional scholars had originally demanded a wholesale replacement of the 1999 Constitution, which critics describe as a military-era document imposed without sufficient popular consultation. Instead, successive administrations opted for piecemeal amendments, a process that, nearly three decades later, remains incomplete and, in his words, “unending.”

For Chude and other reform advocates, the concern is that postponing decisive action until after another election cycle risks deepening structural imbalances in Nigeria’s federal arrangement. With insecurity persisting across several regions, growing agitation for decentralised policing and renewed calls for fiscal autonomy by states, the window for meaningful constitutional reform, he implied, may not remain open indefinitely.

A member of the Pro-National Conference, Wale Okunniyi, however, warned that any decision to jettison the ongoing constitutional review would carry grave implications for Nigeria’s political future.

Okunniyi expressed strong doubts about the willingness of the current National Assembly leadership, headed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, to see the process through to completion. According to him, expecting the legislature to fundamentally alter the existing constitutional framework may amount to an illusion.

He alleged that many lawmakers are more inclined to preserve their seats and continue to enjoy what he described as the “largesse” of office, rather than pursue far-reaching reforms that could strengthen governance and stabilise the polity. In his view, the political class has historically approached constitutional amendment with caution whenever proposed changes threaten entrenched interests.

Okunniyi stressed that completing the constitutional review ahead of the 2027 general elections is imperative. He argued that unresolved structural issues, including questions of devolution of powers, security architecture and fiscal federalism, are directly linked to the country’s worsening insecurity and political tensions.

Failing to address these concerns, he warned, could deepen instability and potentially undermine the credibility and smooth conduct of the 2027 polls. For him, the task before the Akpabio- and Abbas-led legislature is not merely procedural but fundamental to Nigeria’s democratic continuity and national cohesion.

Nigeria’s democracy must not be weakened by delay

In an interview with The Guardian yesterday, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, expressed deep concern over the persistent delays in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution by the 10th National Assembly.

The civil rights activist noted that the slow pace of the review process has raised questions about the legislature’s commitment to delivering long-anticipated governance reforms.

Rafsanjani further warned that the lack of clarity regarding when the constitutional amendment exercise will be concluded could erode public trust and dampen stakeholder participation.

He asserted that the prolonged uncertainty not only fuels scepticism among civil society groups, development partners and citizens, but also risks undermining the credibility of the reform agenda. He stressed the need for a clear timetable, improved transparency and sustained engagement with the public to ensure that the amendment process remains inclusive, accountable and responsive to national aspirations.

In his words: “Constitutional amendments directly impact the legal and institutional framework guiding elections, including provisions relating to electoral administration, dispute resolution, political party regulation, inclusion of marginalised groups and the autonomy of key democratic institutions.

“The National Assembly should ensure that constitutional reform is concluded to allow adequate preparation and avoid last-minute changes that could compromise transparency and accountability.

“CISLAC is concerned that prolonged delays may open the reform process to politicisation and narrow partisan interests. Constitutional amendment should not be reduced to elite negotiations or power calculations; rather, it must reflect the aspirations of Nigerians for credible elections, decentralised governance, strengthened rule of law and genuine federalism.

“The 1999 Constitution has undergone several amendments since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999, yet key structural and governance challenges remain unresolved. Delayed action by the 10th Assembly risks repeating past cycles where reforms are either rushed close to elections or abandoned altogether.”

With the 2027 general elections fast approaching, CISLAC warned that any amendments affecting electoral timelines, candidacy requirements, dispute mechanisms or institutional mandates must be settled early to prevent confusion.

He advised that failure to conclude the amendment process in a timely and transparent manner could undermine electoral integrity, heighten political tensions and erode public trust in democratic institutions.

He therefore urged the 10th National Assembly to publish a clear timeline for completing the constitutional amendment process and to ensure the mainstreaming of broad-based public consultations across all geopolitical zones.

“Nigeria’s democracy must not be weakened by delay, opacity or political expediency. The constitutional amendment process must serve the public interest and lay a firm foundation for credible, peaceful and inclusive elections in 2027 and governance generally,” he said.

The Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ibadan, Prof Adewale Yagboyaju, told The Guardian that no aspect of democracy, particularly the constitutional review exercise, is automatic or cast in stone.

“It is possibly a temporary setback that requires lobbying and greater consultation. Political restructuring can be interpreted in different ways by various parts of the country and, therefore, it requires tact to bring on board many parts of the country that are yet to fully key into the restructuring agenda, particularly with reference to fiscal federalism, devolution of powers and the establishment of state police,” he stated.

Yagboyaju argued that the performance of the National Assembly, whether under Akpabio or any other leader, can hardly be effectively measured using a single factor. He added that the delay in concluding the constitutional amendment should not be used as a yardstick to evaluate the performance of the APC.

“APC has a manifesto and if it has not significantly achieved in some areas, it will be unfair to declare that it is not ready for good governance.

“The amendment of the Constitution has never been a 100-metre dash. It is more of a marathon that requires patience, perseverance and tenacity. If it is done well, it will be in the interest of the public both now and in the future,” he noted. (Guardian)

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