A civil society organisation, JESZ Development Foundation, the North West partner on the Youth Electoral Reform Project YERP Naija, has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in the passage of pending constitutional review bills by the 10th National Assembly.
Addressing a press conference at the weekend in Kaduna, the Executive Director of the foundation, Zigwai Ayuba noted that the 10th National Assembly began the process of amending the 1999 Constitution in February 2024 but had yet to pass any bill two years after.
“We are deeply concerned that two long years into this exercise, there are no dates in sight for a National Assembly vote to pass pending constitutional review bills, so that they can be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for concurrence,” he said.
While noting that North West youths were particularly concerned about bills aimed at strengthening the electoral process, he added that other pending constitutional amendments sought to address critical sectors of national development, including security and policing, local government reforms, judicial reforms, legislative reforms and fiscal reforms.
He recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had also stressed the urgency of constitutional reforms. Speaking at an interfaith dinner with the leadership of the National Assembly on February 25, 2026, the President said, “What I will ask tonight is that you start thinking about how best to amend the Constitution to incorporate state police, so we can secure our country, reclaim our forests from marauders and free our children from fear.”
Zigwai said North West youths aligned with the President’s position and urged lawmakers to accelerate action on pending bills.
He called specifically for the passage of bills seeking to establish an Electoral Offences Commission, provide for independent candidacy, ensure the conclusion of election petitions before swearing in winners and create special seats for women in the National and State Assemblies.
The bills listed by the group include, House Bill 1219 on the establishment and empowerment of the Electoral Offences Commission, Senate Bill 508 on expedited hearing and determination of election petitions, House Bill 1630 and Senate Bill 812 on independent candidacy, as well as House Bill 1349 and Senate Bill 440 on special seats for women.
The group further noted that timelines in the 2026 Electoral Act aligned with some of the proposed constitutional amendments, particularly the bill seeking expedited hearing and determination of election petitions.
It urged the National Assembly to make necessary adjustments to ensure other pending bills align with the 2026 Electoral Act.
North West youths also appealed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, to heed the call of their constituents.
“We call on our legislators in the North West and their colleagues from other parts of the country to pass pending constitutional review bills now,” Zigwai said.
He also urged eminent Nigerians, statesmen and women, the clergy, traditional rulers, political parties and scholars to lend their voices in support of the youth priority constitutional review bills.
Group decries delay in passing pending constitutional review bills
