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Constitution review: South West zone Senate Public hearing begins in Lagos, Friday
The Senate has revealed that it would kick off its South West public hearing on the review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) in Lagos today ( Friday), aimed at subjecting proposals for the creation of 18 additional local governments, establishment of state police and far-reaching reforms of the electoral system, among others, to public discourse.
The Senate has also scheduled to simultaneously hold similar public hearings in other geopolitical zones across the federation with the exception of the North-west.
The postponement of the Northwest public hearing was due to the demise of Kano’s prominent businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, which occurred on Saturday.
Leader of the Senate and Chairman, South-west Zone, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele reeled out the programmes for the two-day zonal public hearing on Thursday, noting that the forum offers Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to thorny issues affecting the country’s governance structure.
The 10th Senate had constituted the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on February 14, 2024, a 45-man committee with the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jubrin and Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
The committee had subsequently received diverse proposals on inclusive reforms, institutional reforms, security and policing, fundamental rights and objectives, system and structure of government, reforms of the judiciary, roles of the traditional institutions in government, reforms of the local government, reforms of the fiscal environment and electoral reforms, among others.
Consequent upon this development, Bamidele revealed that the public hearing of the South-west Zone would be held in Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos between Friday and Saturday, saying it would offer Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to debates on these areas of consideration.
One of the proposals, according Bamidele, is the bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police or other state government security agencies.
Likewise, Bamidele revealed that the bill seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the State Security Council to advise State Governors on matters relating to public security and safety among the federating units.
Bamidele cited another bill, which seeks to transfer labour, industrial relations, industrial disputes and minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the constitution.
He said: “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.”
He also said that “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.”
Under electoral reforms, Bamidele cited different proposals seeking independent candidature for qualified citizens to elective positions and diaspora voting for Nigerians living outside the country.
Also, he mentioned requests for the consequential reforms of the country’s fiscal environment, which in the main sought a timeframe within which the President or a State Governor shall lay the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.
“The proposals further canvass the period within which the President or Governor may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriation Act from six months to three months.
“The proposals seek to provide for revision of the derivation formula by including other revenues generated within each state of the Federation,” the zonal chairman of the Constitution Review Committee notes.
Bamidele also cited a proposal seeking to reposition political parties to resolve every pre-election dispute internally without recourse to the court.
While there are 18 requests for the creation of local government areas nationwide, Bamidele said the committee had received 32 proposals for the creation of additional states with six from North-west, eight from North-central, five from South-east, six from North-east, six from South-south and four from South-west.
Bamidele further revealed that seven requests for the creation of new local government areas had been received from North-west; five from North-central, one from North-east; three from South-south; one from South-east and one from South-west.
Members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Dutse, Jigawa State.
They are demanding that INEC formally recognise the party’s national leadership led by David Mark.
The protest comes amid growing political tension in the state, as internal party disputes and defections intensify ahead of party primaries and the next general elections.
According to reports, the protesters marched to the INEC office in the state capital without incident and submitted a petition to the commission.
Speaking after the protest, the Jigawa ADC Youth Leader, Manniru Aminu, accused INEC of overstepping its authority and said the commission cannot determine legal disputes involving court rulings.
“INEC does not have the constitutional power to interpret court rulings. That responsibility lies with the judiciary,” he said.
The group also claimed that INEC is not acting neutrally in handling internal party issues, which they described as a threat to democratic fairness.
They insisted that the leadership of the ADC under David Mark remains the only legitimate and constitutionally recognised structure of the party.
The protesters demanded that INEC immediately restore the Mark-led leadership on its official records and website.
They also called for a public apology from the commission and urged that those responsible for the alleged bias be held accountable.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Fatima Zuntu as the director-general and chief executive officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA).
In a statement on Monday, Chris Ugwuegbulam, head of information and public relations at the office of the secretary to the government of the federation, said the appointment takes effect from April 16.
Ugwuegbulam said Zuntu will serve an initial term of four years, in line with section 5 of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015.
He said Zuntu is a public health professional and policy strategist with experience in implementing national programmes.
Ugwuegbulam said the president has tasked the new NBMA boss to deploy her expertise towards advancing the agency’s mandate.
Zuntu’s appointment comes amid ongoing scrutiny over leadership qualifications at the biosafety agency.
In December 2025, a non-governmental organisation filed a freedom of information (FOI) request seeking to verify the academic and professional credentials of Bello Bwari, the former NBMA director-general.
The group raised concerns that Bwari, a lawyer by training, may not have met the statutory requirements for the role, noting that section 5 of the NBMA Act stipulates that the agency’s head must possess at least a master’s degree in biological sciences or a related field.
The NGO’s request, submitted to the federal ministry of environment, asked the government to disclose documents relating to Bwari’s qualifications and the process leading to his appointment.
The organisation criticised the lack of transparency, warning that such issues could undermine public confidence in biosafety regulation and scientific governance in Nigeria.
The group said the outcome of the FOI request could set a precedent for accountability in regulatory agencies, particularly those overseeing public health, environmental protection, and biotechnology.
The Labour Party has released the list of chairmen and members of its electoral subcommittees ahead of its forthcoming nationwide congresses scheduled across the country.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Interim National Chairman, Ken Asogwa, the party announced the constitution of the committees to oversee the conduct of ward, local government, and state congresses.
According to the party, the ward congresses are scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, while local government congresses will be held on Friday, April 24, 2026. The state congresses are fixed for Saturday, April 25, 2026.
The subcommittees, which the party said are composed of “experienced and respected party members”, have been mandated to ensure smooth conduct of the exercises in their respective states.
The appointed chairmen are, “Hon. Iheanacho Obioma (Abia); Francis Kim (Adamawa); Ekong Philip Solomon (Akwa Ibom); Chief Tony Asuoha (Anambra); Malam Mustapha Adamu (Bauchi); Beredugo Ebimonyo (Bayelsa); Chief John A. A. Ochoga (Benue); Comrade Buratai (Borno); Urom P. Iyang (Cross River); Hon. Chuks Onitsha (Delta); Chief Mitchell Nwabueze (Ebonyi); Comrade Dr. Saliu Edogiawerie (Edo); Comrade Usman Mohammed (Niger); Owolabi Ezekiel (Ogun); Charles Afolabi (Ondo); Balogun Ibrahim (Osun); Babatunde Yusuf (Oyo); Fakorede Matthew (Ekiti); Dr. David Ogba (Enugu); Comrade Adoga S. Knaabayi (Gombe); Hon. Chinagorom Nwankpa (Imo); Comrade Mustapha Garba (Jigawa); Dr. Emmanuel Barau (Kaduna); Comrade Kabiru Said (Kano); Pastor Ishaku Izang (Plateau); Hon. Amaobi Ogah (Rivers); Professor Muhamuda Muhammad (Sokoto); Barrister Jesse Williams (Taraba); Mukhtar Hassan (Yobe); Haila Ayuba Baja (Zamfara); Comrade Ismail Bello (Katsina); Comrade Muh’d H. Birnin (Kebbi); Hon. Samuel Ajare (Kogi); Bodunde David Adebayo (Kwara); Chukwuemeka Ogbanna (Lagos); Comrade Dr. Muttaqa Yushau (Nasarawa); and Comrade Rose Uba-Anarah (Federal Capital Territory).”
In her message to the subcommittee members, the National Chairman of the party, Senator Nenadi Usman, urged them to discharge their duties with fairness, transparency, and integrity, stressing the importance of the party’s core values.
She said they must remain guided by the principles of “equal opportunity and social justice”, adding that the credibility of the party must be upheld throughout the congress process.
The party also reaffirmed that its National Convention will hold on Tuesday, 28th April 2026, in Umuahia, Abia State, expressing confidence that all arrangements are in place to ensure a smooth and hitch-free exercise.
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