Gbajabiamila doubtful over conclusion of constitutional amendment before 2023 polls

A draft amendment to the constitution remains with the state assemblies after being passed by the national assembly.

House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, is doubtful about the conclusion of the constitutional amendment process before the ninth assembly’s expiration in 2023.

“As it is today, it is doubtful that the current constitutional amendment effort will be concluded before the expiration of this legislative arms,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.

He spoke on Monday at the second edition of the Distinguished Parliamentarians Lecture organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in Abuja.

The speaker said the national assembly had passed a draft of amendment to the constitution and advanced it to the states as required, adding that the process now seemed to have stalled in the state assemblies.

He said despite broad national agreement on the need for reform, the potential for achievements could rise or fall based on differences in expectations of the specific proposal’s context, peace and direction.

The speaker said the conclusion of the amendment was necessary to enable it to advance the course of the nation’s democracy and put it together for the country’s good.

Mr Gbajabiamila said one of the effective tools the ninth assembly had adopted was the Public Policy Dialogue, adding that the dialogues were structured engagement between the stakeholders.

He said this was designed to build a shared understanding of issues and advance policy recommendations that addressed issues in a manner the parties could agree with.

“These dialogues have helped us to advance national security legislation that may otherwise have proved difficult to scale.”

Abubakar Suleiman, the director-general of NILDS, said, “Today’s occasion attests to the robust nature of symbiotic roles of the executive and legislative.”

He said this had brought to bear on democratic practices in Africa, where Nigeria had taken the lead.

Mr Suleiman said a strengthening of the symbiotic relationship between the two arms of government would allow for democracy and impactful good governance to thrive.

(NAN)