Barring any last minute change, the National Assembly will resume sitting today, after a two-month annual recess which began on July 23, 2025.
Senators and House of Representatives members would reconvene to discharge their legislative duties in the upper and lower chambers.
Daily Trust reports that though on recess, some ad hoc committees of both chambers were still actively attending to issues of national interest including investigative hearings, and consultations with various stakeholders on some pending bills.
With the assembly officially billed to resume today, there are high expectations from Nigerians following a barrage of happenings within the country in the last two months which require legislators’ debate and appropriate actions.
Impeccable sources confirmed to our correspondent yesterday that some of the critical issues to be debated as the National Assembly resumes are attacks and killing of innocent Nigerians, constitution amendment, supplementary budget and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s rift with the Senate, among others.
Constitution Review
Daily Trust reports that the National Assembly, on resumption, is billed to prioritise the issue of constitution amendment as part of efforts to transmit the final draft to the state assemblies in time.
Recall that the Senate and House of Representatives have conducted zonal public hearings across the country where they sought inputs from Nigerians regarding the review and amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
Agitations for the creation of new states and local government areas, state police, defined constitutional roles for traditional rulers, among others, dominated the space during the public hearings nationwide.
With the National Assembly billed to resume today, and with all public hearings concluded, the lawmakers are expected to act on the final report to be presented to state assemblies for their adoption and ratification.
Our correspondent reports that the final draft of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly would require agreement by two-thirds majority (24 of the 36) state houses of Assembly and presidential assent to be effective.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), had said the National Assembly would compile and transmit the report to state assemblies before the end of the year, adding that the committee was working towards finalising the harmonised report and meeting its legislative timeline for submission.
Bamidele, who represented the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, at the close of the two-day South-West zonal public hearing in Lagos between 4th and 5th of July 2025, said “We have completed the public hearing.”
He said, “We are now returning to Abuja to prepare our report. Part of our time table is to have final notifications before the end of the year and transmit our report to all state assemblies. This will round off the process of the constitution review.”
Our correspondent reports that the 10th National Assembly had initiated the process of amending the 1999 Constitution, like other assemblies in the legislative history of Nigeria.
Recall that several efforts have been made to amend the 1999 Constitution, which some lawyers and analysts have described as a bad document that is not in conformity with the ideals of democracy, after many years of military rule.
The first constitution amendment exercise was initiated by the 5th National Assembly. It was led by the then deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu. Since then, every legislative cycle initiated fresh amendments.
Daily Trust reports that despite the billions of naira spent on the exercise over the years, there are still recurrent issues of federal structure and devolution of power.
Others are independent candidacy, local government autonomy, immunity, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, electoral reforms, creation of state police, among others, which have not been addressed to the satisfaction of many in the 24-year-old constitution.
Security
Daily Trust reports that in the last two months, scores of innocent Nigerians including security personnel were killed following the deteriorating insecurity in the country.
On September 7, 2027, survivors recounted how Boko Haram insurgents killed 63 people in an attack on Darul Jamal community in Bama LGA of Borno State in the North East.
In an interview with Daily Trust, residents said the terrorists stormed the community on Friday night, first engaging the military before proceeding to attack civilians.
Similarly, no fewer than 53 security operatives were killed across the country in the last two weeks, according to data compiled by Daily Trust from media reports.
They included soldiers, police officers, personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Immigration and Customs officers, vigilantes, members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and state community watch groups.
On August 19, at least 13 worshippers were confirmed dead and many others sustained varying degrees of injury following an attack on the Unguwar Mantau community of Malumfashi Local Government Area, Katsina State.
The ugly incident occurred while the victims were observing morning prayers.
Several attacks and deaths were also recorded in Katsina, Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, and many other states in the country within the two months the federal lawmakers were in recess.
Sources disclosed that in line with the legislative ideals, lawmakers will debate the issue of insecurity extensively after resumption.
Natasha’s resumption
Sources say the Senate may also address the issue of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension when plenary resumes.
In a recent letter signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the Senate acknowledged receiving Natasha’s notice that she planned to resume on September 4, 2025, which she said marked the end of her suspension.
But the Senate explained that her suspension began on March 6, 2025, and remains in force until the Court of Appeal rules on the case she filed challenging her suspension.
However, some Nigerians including lawyers have argued that her resumption is not supposed to be pending until the final decision of the appeal court, since she has already served out her six-months suspension.
Recall that the Senate had in March suspended Natasha for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to comply with the chamber’s sitting arrangement during plenary on February 20, 2025. But the senator approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, to seek redress.
The court ruled that the Senate acted beyond its powers by suspending Senator Natasha for six months and ordered for her recall.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgement, described the duration of the suspension as “excessive” and without a clear legal foundation.
The judge pointed out that since the National Assembly is only required to sit for 181 days in a legislative year, suspending a lawmaker for roughly that same length of time effectively silences the voice of an entire constituency—a move she described as unconstitutional.
But Senate President Godswill Akpabio, appealed the judgement. Since then Natasha has been trying to resume plenary, but the Senate has consistently blocked her, warning her to stay away.
Meanwhile, the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC ,Ekiti South), neither answered his phone call nor responded to a WhatsApp message sent to his phone for more details on the issues to be prioritised on resumption.
(Daily Trust)
