Senate Announces 45-Member Constitution Review Committee

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has announced an over 45-member constitution review committee on the 1999 constitution.

During plenary on Wednesday, Akpabio announced that the committee will be chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

He said the committee would also comprise one lawmaker from each geopolitical zone and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Akpabio disclosed that the committee, in particular, will review the laws in the area of artificial intelligence, state police, among others and is expected to be inaugurated next week Tuesday.

The former Governor of Akwa Ibom explained that lawmakers who constitute the constitution amendment committee were selected from all states and geo-political zones.

Akpabio also claimed that members of the committee are from all political parties in the senate and they will commence the review process immediately.

He said: “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.

“The committee will be inaugurated on Tuesday, so that they can start functioning immediately.

“All the motions and resolutions pertaining to constitution amendment that have been brought to the senate since last year will now be channelled straight to that committee.”

The senate president explained that the 1999 constitution needs a review because it contains many issues that need to be “put right.”

Akpabio also highlighted the introduction of Artificial Intelligence as a major factor for the need to amend the constitution.

He said: “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.”

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.

Members of the committee include Jibrin, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele; Deputy Senate Leader, Oyelola Ashiru; Whip of the Senate, Ali Ndume; Deputy Whip , Nwebonyi Onyeka; Minority Leader,  Abba Moro; Minority Whip,  Osita Ngwu; Deputy Minority Leader,  Oyewunmi Olalere, and the Minority Whip  Sani Hangar.

Others are Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Binus Dauda Yaroe, Bassey Etim Akpan, Ifeanyi Ubah, Abdul Ningi, Seriake Dickson, Agom Jarigbe, Ned Nwoko, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Osita Izunaso, Abdulhamid Ahmed and Khalid Mustapha.

They also included senators Sani Rufai, Mutari Dandutse, Yahaya Abdullahi, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Adebule Oluranti, Ugodiya Akwashiki, Sani Musa and Solomon Adeola.

The list also included, Adeniyi Ayodele, Abdulfatai Buhari, Simon Lalong, Aliyu Wamako, Shuaibu Lau, Ahmed Lawan, Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u, Ireti Kingigbe, and Ipalibo Banigo.

The senators who would represent their geopolitical zones are: Adamu Aliero (North-West); Orji Kalu (South-East) Francis Fadahunsi (South-West); Bomai Mohammed (North-West); Barinada Mpigi (South-South) and Umar Sadiq Sulaiman (North-Central).