The Senate has defended the passage of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, saying national security should take precedence over politics and that the proposed legislation is purely a child of necessity and not political expediency. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement on Sunday, said the proposal to establish state police addresses an urgent national security challenge that should not be delayed because of political interests or individual ambitions.
He noted that the process leading to the passage of the bill did not begin recently, as the proposal formed part of memoranda submitted to the Senate ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 constitution and was subjected to extensive consultations because of its sensitive nature. The National Assembly consulted the executive, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, among other stakeholders, and also conducted public hearings across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025.
Bamidele said at each level of consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill, and the recommendations of the Nigeria Police helped lawmakers develop accountability and oversight mechanisms to guard against abuse by political actors. He added that the proposal was subjected to extensive debate in both chambers of the National Assembly before it was passed, with 84 out of 109 senators voting clause by clause in support of the Bill, accounting for 77.06 percent approval at the Senate alone.
According to the senator, even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties who exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on a parochial basis.
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