The National Assembly has transmitted the 2026 Constitution alteration bill to the Houses of Assembly of all 36 states, marking the next stage of Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional amendment process.

The transmission was carried out on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, following a directive from the leadership of the federal legislature.

The move means the proposed constitutional changes must now be considered by state lawmakers before they can proceed further under the amendment process.

Ogunlana said the bill, formally referred to as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, was transmitted pursuant to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.

Under the Constitution, an alteration proposal requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, meaning no fewer than 24 states must support the proposal for the constitutional amendment process to advance. The National Assembly’s own legislative guide similarly states that constitutional alterations require ratification by at least 24 state legislatures.

The state assemblies have been asked to consider the bill according to their respective legislative procedures and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has requested that the states complete the process and return their decisions within 30 days of receiving the bill.

It, however, stressed that the 30-day period is an administrative timeline rather than a constitutional deadline.

The Constitution does not specify a fixed period within which state legislatures must respond after receiving a constitutional alteration bill. The National Assembly said the 30-day window was introduced to encourage an orderly and timely conclusion of the process.

The federal legislature also said the transmission should not be interpreted as an attempt to dictate how individual state assemblies should vote.

Each state legislature is expected to independently debate the proposals before communicating whether it supports or rejects them.

The latest step follows months of debate over proposed changes to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, including issues relating to policing, representation, electoral administration and other areas of governance.

One of the major constitutional proposals considered during the current review process is the establishment of state police services.

The House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment proposal on state police in June, while the Senate also subsequently approved a state-police amendment bill as lawmakers considered changes to Nigeria’s policing structure.

The wider constitutional review process has also included proposals concerning special legislative seats for women and other institutional reforms, although Verita Post has not independently confirmed which individual proposals are contained in the specific consolidated bill transmitted to the states on Wednesday.

Ogunlana said the National Assembly would await the resolutions of the state legislatures before taking the next steps required under the Constitution.

The development places the 36 State Houses of Assembly at the centre of the constitutional amendment process, with at least 24 required to support an alteration before it can meet the constitutional threshold for state ratification.