Constitution Review: We Have Governors’ Backing – Deputy Speaker

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has secured the backing of Nigerian governors for the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

This followed a meeting with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja Wednesday night, during which Kalu, who the principal officers of the House accompanied, revealed that the governors are receptive to the proposed amendments.

The Deputy Speaker, who also chairs the Constitution Review Committee of the House, emphasised the vital role of governors as heads of sub-national governments.

He recognised the importance of updating them on parliamentary progress to prepare the State Houses of Assembly for voting on significant constitutional amendment issues.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, the deputy speaker said this collaborative approach marked a significant departure from previous constitution review processes. He stressed that by engaging the governors from the outset, the committee will ensure a more inclusive and successful amendment process.

Kalu also disclosed that the committee has received approximately 161 areas of concern from the public for evaluation.

The Deputy Speaker said that the committee would soon visit various States and geopolitical zones to ensure comprehensive public input.

He said: “The governors are significant stakeholders, and without the federating units, there is no Nigeria, and if you ignore them, the wheel of progress towards realising our objectives regarding this constitutional review will be slowed down.

“We considered it essential to come and engage with them, to bring them up to speed, taking them through our work plan, what we have achieved, and where we are headed. And we have had a robust discussion, and the governors made beautiful contributions, and they are in support of the constitution review.

“We also informed them that we would be visiting their states and the geopolitical zones to harvest the opinions of the public members in their various zones regarding the thematic areas of the constitution review.

“We informed them that we have received about 161 areas to amend in the constitution and will give them the breakdown of all of them in the coming engagement. This will not be the first and last engagement. We are going to have a couple of engagements. This is how we want to do it, differently from how it has been done.

“So, from the beginning, we want them to have an input, and we have requested for them to send us an anchor person, like a liaison, the person that will engage with the committee to bring their input closer, faster to the committee than it used to be and also to take our feedback to them.”