State governors have stepped up pressure on the National Assembly, the 36 State Houses of Assembly and the Presidency to accelerate the passage of the state police bill before political activities for the 2027 general elections intensify.
Naijaonpoint reports that the push comes amid concerns that the constitutional amendment process could be slowed by the National Assembly’s annual recess, electioneering and a possible legal challenge over the procedure adopted by the House of Representatives in passing the bill.
The House last Thursday approved the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish state police across the federation, following weeks of intense lobbying by governors and other supporters of decentralised policing.
The governors are said to have directed much of their engagement towards Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, as they seek to ensure that the amendment does not suffer further delays.
Sources in the National Assembly, who spoke with the Daily Sun, said the governors want Akpabio and Abbas to immediately constitute a harmonisation committee that would reconcile the Senate and House versions of the proposed law.
Governors Target One-Month Concurrence
After harmonisation, the agreed version is expected to return to both chambers of the National Assembly for final approval before being transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for concurrence.
Governors have reportedly begun reaching out to speakers of their respective state assemblies, urging them to ensure that the constitutional amendment is approved within one month of receipt.
The proposed alteration requires the backing of at least two-thirds of the state assemblies before it can be returned to the National Assembly and subsequently forwarded to the President for assent.
The governors are also said to have opened discussions with aides to President Bola Tinubu, pressing for prompt presidential assent once the legislative process is completed.
The renewed lobbying is partly driven by fears that further delays could push consideration of the bill into the period of heightened political campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections.
PDP Faction Threatens Legal Action
However, the manner in which the House of Representatives passed the bill has generated controversy and could trigger a court battle.
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has indicated that it is considering challenging the legislative process in court.
Spokesman for the faction, Ini Ememobong, faulted the use of a voice vote, arguing that lawmakers should have considered and voted on the constitutional amendment clause by clause.
He accused the National Assembly of displaying what he described as a recurring disregard for legislative procedure, recalling similar concerns raised during consideration of the Electoral Act.
According to him, the approval amounted to a blanket endorsement of the proposals rather than the detailed voting process he said was required for constitutional amendments.
Ememobong maintained that laws were made for Nigerians and not for lawmakers alone, adding that citizens and political parties had the right to approach the courts whenever they believed that constitutional provisions had been breached.
He also noted that members of the minority caucus had raised objections to some aspects of the bill.
Ex-Lawmaker Faults Voice Vote
A former member of the House of Representatives, Sergius Ogun, also criticised the procedure adopted by the chamber.
Ogun, who represented Esan North-East/Esan South-West Federal Constituency of Edo State in the Eighth and Ninth National Assembly, described the use of a voice vote for a constitutional amendment as an aberration.
He recalled that electronic voting was used during constitutional amendment exercises conducted while he served in the National Assembly.
The former lawmaker said he was surprised that the Speaker referred to lawmakers who had signed the attendance register and those who were absent without conducting what he described as a proper clause-by-clause consideration of the proposals.
Although Ogun said he could not predict the outcome of a possible court case, he urged anyone dissatisfied with the procedure to seek judicial interpretation.
He argued that such litigation could help clarify the law and contribute to Nigeria’s constitutional jurisprudence, despite concerns over declining public confidence in the judiciary.
Beyond political considerations, the governors are also pushing for the amendment because several states already operate informal security organisations, including vigilante groups and community security outfits.
It was gathered that governors hope to transform some of the existing formations into formal state police organisations once the necessary constitutional backing is secured.
The governors are seeking to complete the transition well before the 2027 elections, amid growing calls for states to play a greater role in tackling kidnapping, banditry and other security challenges.
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, had earlier disclosed that governors were working collectively to ensure swift action by the state assemblies.
According to him, the governors had agreed that their respective legislatures would consider and approve the amendment promptly once it was transmitted to them.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, also said the speed with which state assemblies act on the proposal would demonstrate the seriousness of governors who had repeatedly advocated state policing.
Several speakers of state Houses of Assembly have already publicly declared their support for the proposal, describing it as a major step in Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional review.
CSOs Demand Public Hearings
Civil society organisations (CSO) have, however, raised concerns about the process leading to the proposed restructuring of the policing system.
The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre has called for public hearings to be held across the six geopolitical zones before further action is taken on the bill.
The organisation argued that Nigerians should be given the opportunity to scrutinise the proposal, particularly issues relating to funding, oversight and safeguards against possible abuse by state governments.
No such zonal hearings have yet been conducted, while details of how the proposed state police formations would be funded have also not been fully disclosed.
Minority Lawmakers Protest
The House of Representatives approved the bill with 311 lawmakers voting in support, surpassing the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.
Abbas presided over proceedings as chairman of the Committee of the Whole. However, minority lawmakers walked out of the chamber shortly after the vote.
Minority Leader, Fredrick Agbedi, maintained that the procedure adopted by the House failed to comply with constitutional requirements.
