Constitution Review: Govs, speakers resolve to hold public hearing

Sequel to their emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), and speakers of the state Houses of Assembly, have agreed to consult all stakeholders and hold public hearing on the ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to review the 1999 Constitution.

The National Assembly had transmitted to the NGF and Conference of Speakers some of the portions of the 1999 Constitution that needed to be reviewed in order to promote “our democracy and strengthen its institutions.”

Consequently, the NGF and the 36 speakers of all the states in the country had an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

Arising from their meeting, NGF chairman and governor of Zamfara State, Abdul-Aziz Yari, and the chairman, Conference of Speakers, Ismaila Kamba, told newsmen that they have resolved to approach the amendment of the 1999 constitution with maturity.

The communiqué reached at the meeting read, “We, all the governors of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the platform of the Nigeria Governors forum and the Speakers of the state houses of assembly, under the auspices of the Conference of Speakers at the end of a consultative meeting regarding the ongoing efforts to amend certain sections of the 1999 constitution resolved as follows: “The meeting agreed to approach this amendment with maturity and the future of our democracy at the back of our minds.

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“The meeting agreed that the State houses of Assembly should consult all stakeholders and hold public hearing on all the items transmitted to them by the National Assembly in a bid to promote our democracy and strengthen its institutions.”

The meeting also resolved to constitute a committee to examine all the issues pertaining to the constitutional amendment and report back to members within a reasonable time.

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