Senate constitutes committee to amend Nigeria’s 1999 constitution

The Senate has constituted a 45-member committee to review and amend the 1999 Constitution. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the composition of the committee during the plenary on Wednesday.

Akpabio said the committee will be chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin and Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leaderwill be deputy chairman.

The Senate President explained that the 1999 constitution needs a review because it contains many issues that need to be “put right.” He also highlighted the introduction of Artificial Intelligence as a major factor for the need to amend the constitution.

“There is a need for us to touch some aspects of the constitution to bring them inline with current relatives particularly with the era of artificial intelligence and some of the things we have observed that need to be put right,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President also directed that all Speakers of the State House of Assemblies should be invited to the National Assembly for interaction as part of the constitution amendment process.

“The Deputy Senate President, you also invite speakers of all state houses of assemblies for interaction with the Senate President before we go into the major issues of presenting the different memos” he added.

Akpabio noted that the constitution amendment committee will be inaugurated next Tuesday and they will commence the review process immediately.

The Senate President explained that lawmakers who constitute the constitution amendenent committee were selected from all states and geo-political zones.

He also claimed that members of the committee are senators from all political parties in the senate.

“It is all political parties and all senatorial districts, all zones are taken care of. We are taking one senator per state because we are talking about the constitution amendment. One Senator per state and then we are also taking one senator representing each geo-political zone.

“So, in case you noticed two senators from one state, that would mean that one of them represents the zone, while there’s one senator from that zone representing that state”, Akpabio said.

Aside from Messrs Barau and Bamidele, other members of the constitution amendment committee are; Oyelola Ashiru, Deputy Senate Leader, Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume, Nwebonyi Onyeka, Deputy Whip; Abba Moro, Minority Leader; Osita Ngwu, Minority Whip
Deputy Minority Leader; Oyewunmi Olalere, Minority Whip Sani Hangar.

Others are: Enyinnaya Abaribe , Binus Dauda Yaroe, Bassey Etim Akpan, Ifeanyi Ubah, Abdul Ningi , Seriake Dickson, Agom Jarigbe, Ned Nwoko , Adams Oshiomole Danjuma Goje Osita Izunaso, Abdulhamid Ahmed, Khalid Mustapha , Sani Rufai, Mutari Dandutse , Yahaya Abdullahi, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan , Adebule Oluranti , Ugodiya Akwashiki , Sani Musa, Adeola Olamilekan, Adeniyi Ayodele, Abdulfatai Buhari , Simon Lalong Aliyu Wamako, Shuaibu Lau, Ahmed Lawan, Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u , Ireti Kingigbe, Ipalibo Banigo

Zonal representation: Adamu Aliero to represent ( North-west); Orji Uzor Kalu to represent (South-east); Francis Fadahunsi to represent (South-west); Bomai Mohammed to represent (North-east); Barinada Mpigi (South-south); and Umar Sadiq Sulaiman (North-central)