Senate Defends State Police Bill, Says National Security Must Override Politics
The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, insisting that the country’s security challenges require urgent action beyond political considerations.
The upper chamber’s position follows criticism from opposition figures, including the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, who urged that the implementation of state police be postponed until after the 2027 general election. Obi argued that the proposed policing system could be vulnerable to political abuse if introduced without adequate safeguards.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, questioned the credibility of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to implement the policy, describing the present period as unsuitable for establishing state police.
Responding in a statement on Sunday, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele dismissed the criticisms, saying the bill was driven by the urgent need to address insecurity rather than political calculations.
According to him, the legislation emerged from nationwide consultations and broad stakeholder engagement, not partisan interests.
Bamidele explained that the proposal formed part of memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution and underwent extensive consultations because of its significance.
He said the National Assembly consulted the executive arm of government, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and other critical stakeholders before passing the bill.
He added that public hearings were held across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025, where stakeholders largely expressed support for the establishment of state police in response to the country’s worsening security situation.
According to Bamidele, recommendations from the Nigeria Police were incorporated into the bill to strengthen accountability and oversight mechanisms aimed at preventing abuse of state police by political office holders.
He also noted that the bill received extensive debate in both chambers of the National Assembly before its passage, stressing that lawmakers from opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Labour Party, supported the legislation.
“In the Senate, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the bill, representing 77.06 per cent approval,” he said.
Bamidele urged political leaders to treat national security as a collective responsibility rather than a partisan issue, arguing that peace and security benefit every Nigerian regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity or religion.
He called on opposition parties to contribute constructive ideas that would strengthen the country’s security architecture instead of focusing solely on criticism.
