The Eighth National Assembly last week concluded voting on33 Amendment Bills onthe 1999 Constitution.
The Constitution review process lasted two days from July 26 – July 27 in both chambers of the National Assembly.
While the Senate concluded its amendment on July 26, the House of Representatives concluded theirs on July 27.
Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, BukolaSaraki, described the constitution review process as a “promise kept” by the Eighth National Assembly.
“You will recall the when we first came to office, we made a promise to amend the 1999 constitution to reflect new realities that have risen,” Mr. Saraki said.
“Promises we have made to the Nigerian people will be kept and we will do our best to see to that.”
Amongst the landmark votes was the passing of the bill to reduce the age requirements for elective positions, although that of the Senate wasn’t altered.
Also, it was the first time in Nigeria’s legislative history, the electronic voting system was used during voting on a major national issue.
With the votes to amend the 1999 Constitution concluded in the upper and lower houses of Nigeria’s bicameral legislature, Next Edition, hereby provides you with details on how each chamber voted.
However, a total of 95 out 109 senators were inside the chamber when voting started while 295 members of the House of Representatives were present and indeed voted on the bills.
Read also: How Nigeria Senate Voted To Amend the 1999 Constitution
Chart showing how the Senate and House of Reps voted to amend the 1999 Constitution.
Key: Abs – Abstained
| Bill | Senate/Yes | Senate/No | Senate/Abs | Reps/Yes | Reps/No | Reps/Abs |
| Council of State (1) | 95 | Nil | Nil | 274 | 6 | 2 |
| Authorization of expenditure (2) | 93 | 1 | 1 | 295 | Nil | Nil |
| Devolution of power (3) | 90 | 5 | Nil | 210 | 71 | Nil |
| Financial autonomy of state legislature (4) | 90 | 5 | Nil | 286 | 10 | 1 |
| Local Government Financial Autonomy (5) | 84 | 8 | 1 | 291 | 12 | 1 |
| Democratic existence funding & tenure for local Government councils (6) | 88 | 7 | 1 | 285 | 7 | 1 |
| State creation and boundary adjustment (7) | 47 | 48 | Nil | 166 | 125 | 3 |
| Power to deregister parties who fail to win an elective seat (8) | 90 | Nil | Nil | 293 | 2 | 1 |
| Presidential Assent (9) | 95 | 1 | Nil | 248 | 28 | 4 |
| Ministerial nominees’ submission time frame (11a) | 75 | 19 | Nil | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| Submission of ministerial nominees with their portfolios (11b) | 78 | 16 | 1 | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| 35% affirmative action for women as ministers (11c) | 49 | 43 | 2 | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| Submission of commissioners’ nominees with their portfolios (11d) | 84 | 7 | Nil | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| Submission of names of commissioners’ offices attached with their portfolio (11e) | 87 | 8 | Nil | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| Appointment of minister from the FCT (12) | 77 | 12 | 3 | 191 | 21 | 3 |
| Affirmative action for women as states commissioners (11f) | 61 | 35 | Nil | 248 | 46 | 1 |
| Change of names of some LG councils in Oyo, Ogun, Rivers, Plateau and Ebonyi States (13) | 84 | 2 | 2 | 220 | 57 | 8 |
| Independent Candidacy (14) | 82 | 5 | 3 | 275 | 14 | 1 |
| Change of name for the Nigeria Police Force to Nigerian Police (15) | 87 | 2 | 1 | 280 | 9 | 1 |
| Restriction of tenures for the President and State Governors to just one term (16) | 88 | Nil | Nil | 292 | 3 | 3 |
| Separation of office of the Accountant General (17) | 89 | Nil | Nil | 274 | 23 | 2 |
| Financial Independence for Office of Auditor General of the Federation/State (18) | 95 | Nil | Nil | 289 | 11 | Nil |
| Separation of office of the Attorney General from the Minister of Justice (19) | 95 | 1 | 1 | 234 | 58 | 3 |
| Submissions from the judiciary (20) | 95 | 2 | 1 | 265 | 6 | 7 |
| Determination of pre-election matters (21) | 97 | Nil | Nil | 288 | 3 | 1 |
| Consequential Amendment on Civil Defense (22) | 97 | Nil | Nil | 293 | 2 | 1 |
| Citizenship and Indigenship (23) | 49 | 46 | Nil | 208 | 78 | 2 |
| Procedure for overriding presidential Veto in Constitutional Alteration (24) | 87 | 4 | Nil | 271 | 20 | Nil |
| Removal of law making power from executive arm (25) | 89 | 3 | Nil | 209 | 47 | 5 |
| Investment and Securities Tribunal (26) | 76 | 14 | 5 | 270 | 12 | 2 |
| Reduction of Age for Election
(Not Too Young To Run) (27) |
86 | 10 | 1 | 261 | 23 | 2 |
| Expenditure Time Frame for Appropriation Bill passage (28) | 94 | Nil | Nil | 252 | 7 | 2 |
| Deletion of NYSC decree (29) | 88 | 3 | Nil | 209 | 47 | 5 |
| Deletion of public complaint act (30) | 90 | 1 | 2 | 209 | 47 | 5 |
| Deletion of Land Use Act (31) | 46 | 44 | Nil | 139 | 148 | 4 |
| Deletion of State INEC (32) | 73 | 19 | 2 | 229 | 51 | 1 |
| Deletion of National Security Agencies (33) | 92 | 2 | 0 | 209 | 47 | 5 |
