March 30, (THEWILL) – The prolonged move for Constitutional Amendment has entered a significant phase that may alter the current 1999 Constitution with over 42 bills gazetted for Second Reading on the floor of the House of Representatives last Wednesday. Even so, many of the bills are already receiving scathing public reception.
Critical areas that have attracted the attention of lawmakers and stirred public interest are nine in number: Devolution of powers; State creation; Local Government administration; Fundamental rights; Advisory role of traditional rulers; Citizenship and Removal of Immunity for Vice President and Governors; 60- years age limit for candidates for the Office of President and Governor.
Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, the Majority Leader who read the long titles of the bills, asked members of the House of Reps for the passage of the proposed bills after which the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu ruled that the bills should be passed for second reading.
Eight other bills seeking to strengthen institutions; four bills focused on state creation; one bill seeks to establish and provide roles for traditional rulers in Nigeria and provide for the recognition of the advisory role of traditional rulers; three bills focused on citizenship; four bills centred on fundamental rights and objectives; while 14 bills focused on local government councils.
A day after, some of the bills generated so much controversy that the lawmakers had to backtrack. So, on Thursday the House of Representatives backtracked on a proposed constitutional amendment bill seeking to strip the Vice President, state governors and their deputies of immunity from prosecution.
The reversal followed the adoption of a motion moved by Ihonvbere during Thursday’s plenary, which was presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Qualify the Immunity Conferred on the President, Remove the Immunity Conferred on the Vice President, Governors and Their Deputies, in Order to Curb Corruption, Eradicate Impunity and Enhance Accountability in Public Office and for Related Matters.”
However, the Green Chamber reversed its decision, citing the need for further debate on key provisions of the bill.
The immunity clause, as enshrined in Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, shields the President, Vice President, governors and their deputies from criminal and civil prosecution while in office.
The provision, originally designed to prevent distractions and allow elected officials to focus on governance, has been widely debated, with critics arguing that it enables corruption and abuse of power.
The bill is now expected to undergo further legislative scrutiny before any final decision is made.
Yet another one is still generating controversy as it seeks to revert the system of administration from the presidential to parliamentary that was adopted in the post- independence first republic
The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Provide for the Office of the Prime Minister as Head of Government and the Office of President as Head of State and to Provide for a Framework for the Mode of Election to the said Offices and for Related Matters (HB.1115),” was debated on Thursday during plenary presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu.
If passed into law, the bill will replace the current presidential system with a parliamentary model, where a Prime Minister—elected by the legislature—will wield executive powers, while the President will assume a ceremonial role as Head of State.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Abdussamad Dasuki said the amendments would significantly reshape Nigeria’s political system, arguing that the presidential system has failed to effectively tackle the nation’s developmental challenges.
He pointed out that the high cost of governance under the presidential system has drained resources needed for critical sectors, such as infrastructure, education and healthcare. He also decried the concentration of power in the executive, saying it had stifled accountability and hindered national progress.
Equally receiving hostile reception is the 60- years age limit for presidential and governorship candidates. If the amendment passes, President Bola Tinubu, who celebrated his 73 birthday at the weekend, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 78, who was presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and his Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, 63, may not qualify.
Expectedly, the PDP, Coalition of United Political Parties and the Social Democratic Party, SDP, have risen in condemnation of the proposed age- limit bill. According to the PDP, the country’s main governance challenges lie in corruption, incompetence, and a lack of patriotism rather than age. For the SDP age does play a role in governance to some extent.
For the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, “I am more convinced with this action of theirs, that this set of Senators and House of Representatives are the most unserious assembly we have ever had in the history of this country. The problem we have today is not age or date of birth.”
The National Publicity Secretary of CUPP, Mark Adebayo, said that corruption, incompetence, and lack of patriotism are Nigeria’s main governance problems.
The National Publicity Secretary of the SDP, Rufus Aiyenigba argued that though age can be added to help, leadership is still a function of experience, values, and competence.
“Governance is a function of age in some sense. We have had very young people in leadership positions, from the military era to today. Some performed well, others did not. Age alone does not determine leadership success,” Aiyenigba said, adding that, “What is important is the quality a person is bringing. How do we assess capacity and competence? Why don’t we make live debates compulsory for presidential candidates? That way, the public can judge their intelligence, vision, and fitness for leadership,” he suggested.
The bill now moves to the committee stage for further legislative scrutiny.
In the meantime, eminent Nigerians, notably The Patriots led by ex-Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, have said they would soon engage the lawmakers and their leadership and discuss critical areas requiring amendment of the Constitution to aid democratic governance.
The proposed meeting would be in April. Earlier, The Patriots had met with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa and expressed their desire to see the executive and lawmakers join hands to make what the group refer to as a peoples constitution, emphasising the need to give Nigerian citizens the chance to participate in a Constituent Assembly and participate in the fashioning of a democratic Constitution that reflects their sovereignty. They made known their intention to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly in April at last week’s 20th memorial anniversary of their founding Chairman, Chief Rotimi Williams at the FRA Chambers in Lagos.
Membership of The Patriots include Ike Nwachukwu, Tanko Yakasai, Olusegun Osoba, Alani Akinrinade, Anya O. Anya, Idika Kalu, Obiageli Ezekwesili.
Others are Philip Asiodu, Pat Utomi, Solomon Asemota (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Obong Attah, Anthony Kila and Labaran Maku, Prof Anthony Kila, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, Fafa Dan-Princewill, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ezenwa and son of the late FRA Williams, Kayode.
According to the General Secretary of the organisation, Mr Olawale Okunniyi, the group’s mission to the National Assembly is to ask the lawmakers to amend Section 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution to include a Referendum/Plebiscite clause whereby the people can demand a change of the Constitution at any time.”
He said that the “current Constitution is warped, fashioned after corruption and supports corruption. The foundation, which is the Constitution, is faulty. Only two percent of Nigerians are benefiting from the Constitution and we need to correct this anomaly. We need a Constitution of the people that works for the poorest of the poor.
“Our next plan is to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly. We have made contact with the leadership of the National Assembly and the meeting will happen in April. We may meet the Senate and House of Representatives jointly or separately, however, it will happen on the same day.
“After meeting the National Assembly, we will, in the same April, begin zonal outreaches, advocacy to traditional rulers, influential leaders of geopolitical zones, labour leaders,” Okunniyi said.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
