The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, insisting the initiative was driven by necessity and broad national agreement, not political expediency or cynicism.
In a statement signed on Sunday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said the proposal to establish state police was a matter of urgent public importance that could not be delayed because of political aspirations, given the stark security realities confronting the country.
Bamidele noted that the process of accommodating state police in Nigeria’s governance structure did not begin recently.
He said the proposal was one of the memoranda submitted to the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution and was subjected to rigorous scrutiny and multi-tiered consultations across the federation due to its sensitive nature.
According to him, the National Assembly consulted broadly with the Executive, the Nigerian Governors Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, and the leadership of the Nigeria Police, among others.
In July 2025, the National Assembly held public hearings in all geopolitical zones, where participants overwhelmingly endorsed the bill. “At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in light of the stark realities we are facing today,” Bamidele stated.
The Senate Leader added that the Nigeria Police contributed vital recommendations to the constitution alteration process, which formed the basis for accountability and oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse of state police by political actors.
He said the police’s decision to support the bill underscored its strategic importance for tackling insecurity at local and state levels.
Bamidele further explained that consideration of the bill involved intense debate in both chambers. “Even though the APC is the majority, members of opposition parties — PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party — exercised their discretion in favour of the bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial grounds,” he said.
He disclosed that 84 of 109 senators voted clause by clause in support of the bill, representing 77.06 per cent approval in the Senate alone.
The Senate Leader stressed that security is a collective public good that benefits citizens across ethnic, political and religious divides, and urged opposition parties to offer credible ideas to deepen peace and stability instead of mere criticism.
“At this challenging time, opposition parties and leaders should come forward with ideas that will deepen the peace and stability of the federation.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligation to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” Bamidele said.
End.
Source: New Telegraph
