A landmark nationwide survey has revealed a powerful, yet under-publicized, public mandate for Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional review, highlighting both a strong national consensus on key reforms and a critical gap in citizen awareness.
The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), a leading civil society organization, released its findings on Dec. 19, 2025, following a November survey conducted across all six geopolitical zones, 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory. The data provides a rare, evidence-based snapshot of citizen priorities as the National Assembly deliberates on amendments to the nation’s foundational document.
“The findings demonstrate that calls for constitutional reform reflect widely shared national aspirations,” said PLAC’s Executive Director, Clement Nwankwo. “This offers the National Assembly clear, evidence-based guidance on citizens’ expectations.”
The Consensus: Overwhelming Support for Structural & Governance Reforms
The survey identified several areas of broad agreement that cut across regional and demographic lines, suggesting a unified vision for a more effective federal structure:
- Local Government Autonomy (89% support): An overwhelming majority favour full financial and administrative independence for local governments. This reflects deep public frustration with the current system where states often control local council funds, crippling grassroots development and accountability. Granting autonomy is seen as a direct path to improving service delivery at the community level.
- Devolution of Powers (61% support): A clear majority support shifting more responsibilities from the federal government to states, including control over mineral resources. This aligns with long-standing debates on “true federalism,” where states with specific endowments could better manage their resources for local development, rather than relying solely on federal allocation.
- State Police (70% support): Driven by pervasive security challenges, seven in ten Nigerians back the creation of state-level police forces to complement the federal police. However, respondents crucially emphasized the need for “strong safeguards against abuse,” indicating public concern over potential politicization and human rights violations without robust oversight frameworks.
Electoral Integrity: A Non-Negotiable Demand for Reform
Perhaps the strongest consensus emerged around electoral reforms, directly informed by recent electoral experiences:
- Mandatory Electronic Transmission of Results (91% support): This near-unanimous demand underscores a deep public desire for transparency and a verifiable audit trail to restore confidence in electoral outcomes.
- Legislators Vacating Seats Upon Defection (87% support): The public strongly rejects the practice of “carpet-crossing,” where lawmakers switch parties without consequence, viewing it as a betrayal of the electorate’s mandate and a source of political instability.
- INEC Conducting Local Government Elections (77% support): Widespread distrust in State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), often seen as tools of state governors, has led to a majority preferring the national body to oversee all tiers of elections to ensure fairness.
Judicial Efficiency and Gender Inclusion: Critical Reforms in Focus
The survey also delved into the justice system and representation:
- Judicial Reforms: While opinions were mixed on existing provisions for judicial independence, 92% of respondents support strict constitutional timelines for resolving election petitions—a direct response to prolonged legal battles that leave elected officials in limbo. Furthermore, 66% favour expanding the number of Justices in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal to reduce case backlogs and speed up justice delivery.
- Gender Inclusion: In a striking finding, while only 40% were aware of the specific “Special Seats for Women Bill,” an overwhelming 90% support reserving special legislative seats for women at national and state levels once the concept is explained. “This is a position that cuts across gender and regional lines,” Nwankwo noted, suggesting that the low awareness, not opposition, is the primary barrier to such reforms.
The Critical Paradox: Strong Consensus Meets Low Awareness
The most significant challenge highlighted by the PLAC survey is a glaring awareness gap. Despite strong opinions on specific issues, 57% of Nigerians are unaware of the ongoing constitution review process itself. This lack of awareness is particularly acute among women and young people—the very demographics whose inclusion the process seeks to enhance.
This creates a paradox: there is a clear, data-driven public consensus on the direction of reform, but the process remains elite-driven and opaque to a majority of citizens. This gap risks producing a revised constitution that, while aligned with public opinion on paper, may lack the broad-based legitimacy and ownership that comes from inclusive and well-publicized civic engagement.
In conclusion, the PLAC survey serves as both a roadmap and a warning. It provides legislators with a powerful mandate to pursue bold reforms in local governance, federalism, elections, and representation. Simultaneously, it sounds a loud alarm on the need for a massive, targeted public sensitization campaign. For the constitution review to truly reflect the “strong national consensus” it has uncovered, the process itself must become more widely known, accessible, and participatory for all Nigerians.
(Survey Source: Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). Edited by Yakubu Uba.)
