Constitution review: Senate considers inclusion of diaspora voting, independent candidacy

The senate will on Friday begin a two-day zonal public hearing in Lagos on the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

The session, which will be held at Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, is expected to focus on a range of proposals, including the creation of state police, electoral reforms, devolution of powers, and the creation of 18 additional LGAs.

Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader and chairman of the constitution review committee for the south-west zone, announced the details of the hearing in a statement issued on Thursday.

Bamidele said the forum will allow Nigerians to air their views on critical issues affecting the country’s governance structure.

Similar hearings will take place across the other geopolitical zones, except for the north-west, where the event was postponed following the death of Kano billionaire and philanthropist Aminu Alhassan Dantata.

The constitution review committee was inaugurated on February 14, 2024, with Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, as chairman and Bamidele as vice-chairman.

The committee, made up of 45 senators, has received over 50 proposals covering governance reforms, restructuring, the judiciary, fiscal federalism, traditional institutions, and the electoral process.

Among the major proposals is a bill to establish state police and state government security agencies, as well as a constitutional provision for a state security council to advise governors on internal security matters.

There are also bills seeking the introduction of independent candidacy at all levels of election, defined roles for traditional rulers and diaspora voting.

REFROMS SEEK DEVOLUTION OF POWER, FISCAL AUTONOMY

Other bills seek to transfer key items such as labour, industrial disputes, and minimum wage from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, granting states more autonomy in policymaking.

“There is a proposal bill to transfer control of interstate waterways from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting both the federal and state governments the power to legislate on matters relating to shipping and navigation on interstate waterways,” Bamidele said.

“There is a proposal to ensure that every local government in each state has at least one member representing the local government in the House of Assembly to ensure equity, fairness and attract democratic dividends to inhabitants of each local government of the State.”

Fiscal reform proposals include shortening the timeframe within which the president or governor can authorise withdrawals from the consolidated revenue fund without an appropriation act — from six months to three months.

There are also suggestions to revise the derivation formula to include additional revenue streams generated within states.

A separate bill seeks to compel political parties to resolve pre-election disputes internally rather than relying on the courts.

‘COMMITTEE RECEIVES 31 STATE CREATION, 18 LG REQUESTS’

According to Bamidele, the committee received 18 requests for the creation of new LGAs and 31 requests for the creation of new states.

Of the state creation requests, six came from the north-west, eight from the north-central, six each from the north-east and south-south, five from the south-east, and four from the south-west.

He said the LGAs’ requests include seven from the north-west, five from the north-central, one from the north-east, three from the south-south, one from the south-east, and one from the south-west.