In an unprecedented move, the House of Representatives on Tuesday passed 40 bills through second reading and referred them to the Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution for further legislative action.

Among the bills passed during the plenary session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, was a bill seeking to alter the Constitution to recognize and develop Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.

The bill, sponsored by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas and Marcus Onubun aims to formalize the structure and functions of the zones.

The House also passed a bill to establish and empower the Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission, which will be responsible for registering, regulating, and monitoring the organization and operations of political parties.

Sponsored by Aminu Dauro, the proposed commission is expected to strengthen the country’s political party system.

A significant bill that received approval was one seeking to amend the Constitution to mandate that Presidential, Governorship, National Assembly, State assembly, and Local Government elections be conducted on the same day.

Sponsored by Francis Waive and 35 others, the bill aims to streamline the electoral process and reduce election-related costs.

Another bill seeks to alter the Constitution to provide special seats for physically challenged persons at the Federal, State, and Local Government levels, as well as in legislative houses.

The bill was sponsored by the Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Marcus Onubun.

Additionally, the House passed a bill proposing six special seats for special interest groups in the House of Representatives. Sponsored by Akin Rotimi, the bill is aimed at promoting inclusion and representation for marginalized groups.

A major reform initiative was the passage of a bill to establish State and Local Government police forces.

Sponsored by Francis Waive and Akin Rotimi, the bill seeks to decentralize policing to enhance security at the grassroots level.

The House also passed a bill requiring that all election appeals be resolved before the swearing-in of elected officials, including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, and members of the National and State Assemblies.

Sponsored by Mansur Soro and five others, the bill aims to ensure that electoral disputes are settled before officials assume office.

In a related development, another bill was passed to extend the original jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to include Governorship and Deputy Governorship election petitions, as well as tenure-related matters.

Sponsored by Adebayo Balogun, the bill seeks to enhance the efficiency of the judiciary in handling election-related cases.