Tinubu’s State Police Push Wins Big As Reps Pass Landmark Bill Amid Minority Revolt

• House of Representatives delivers a major legislative victory for President Bola Tinubu by passing the Executive Bill seeking to establish State Police Services, one of the most significant constitutional and security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history.

• A total of 311 lawmakers voted in support of the landmark bill after the House withdrew its own proposal in favour of the President’s legislation, advancing efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen internal security.

• Minority lawmakers staged a dramatic walkout, accusing the House leadership of violating constitutional provisions and parliamentary rules, insisting that constitutional amendment bills cannot be validly passed through a voice vote.

• The proposed law seeks to create a dual policing structure to combat kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and violent crimes nationwide, but must still secure Senate concurrence and ratification by at least 24 State Houses of Assembly before becoming law.

July 23, () — The House of Representatives, on Thursday, handed President Bola Tinubu one of the biggest legislative victories of his administration by approving the Executive Bill seeking to establish State Police Services, a landmark constitutional reform expected to fundamentally reshape Nigeria’s security architecture after decades of agitation for decentralised policing.

The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797)”, was passed after an overwhelming majority of lawmakers voted in its favour during plenary.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 members participated in the exercise, with 276 lawmakers physically present while 35 voted virtually.

The approval followed the House’s consideration and adoption of the report of its Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

The House had earlier withdrawn its own constitutional amendment proposal on state police and adopted President Tinubu’s Executive Bill as the primary legislative vehicle for the reform. It also rescinded its June 11, 2026 resolution on the establishment of State Police Services and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee constituted on July 9, 2026 to harmonise previous legislative proposals.

Background to the State Police Debate

The legislation represents a major breakthrough in the Tinubu administration’s efforts to reform Nigeria’s internal security framework amid worsening insecurity across the country.

For more than two decades, calls for state police have dominated national discourse as successive administrations grappled with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, communal violence, cultism and farmer-herder conflicts that have overwhelmed the centrally controlled Nigeria Police Force.

Governors, traditional rulers, security experts, business groups and civil society organisations have repeatedly argued that Nigeria’s federal policing structure is overstretched and incapable of effectively addressing increasingly localised security threats in the country’s 36 states.

Supporters believe decentralising policing would improve intelligence gathering, enhance community policing, reduce response time and enable states to respond more effectively to emerging security challenges.

However, critics have consistently warned that governors could misuse state-controlled police formations to intimidate political opponents, suppress dissent and influence elections unless robust constitutional safeguards and independent oversight mechanisms are entrenched.

Tinubu’s Case for Security Reform

President Tinubu transmitted the Executive Bill to the National Assembly last week, describing it as a critical pillar of his administration’s comprehensive strategy to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture.

According to the President, the proposed legislation builds on extensive legislative work already undertaken by the House while introducing additional safeguards to ensure accountability and prevent abuse under the proposed dual policing structure.

“This bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians.”

Tinubu expressed confidence that the National Assembly would expedite consideration of the proposal, describing it as essential to strengthening the country’s ability to protect lives and property.

Minority Walks Out, Cries Foul

Despite the overwhelming support for the bill, proceedings took a dramatic turn when members of the Minority Caucus staged a walkout in protest over what they described as violations of constitutional procedures governing constitutional amendments.

Addressing journalists shortly after leaving the chamber, Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi insisted that the opposition was not against the establishment of state police but objected to what it considered an unlawful process adopted in passing the legislation.

He accused Speaker Abbas, while presiding as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, of disregarding Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution and the House Standing Orders governing constitutional amendments.

“The Constitution is the grand norm. It is the rule book from which even our Standing Orders derive their powers. For the Speaker, acting as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, to disregard the clear provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution is a great affront to the workings of the House of Representatives”, Agbedi said.

The Minority Caucus maintained that constitutional amendment bills must be considered clause by clause, with each provision obtaining the constitutionally required two-thirds majority.

The lawmakers argued that merely reading the long title of the bill before putting it to a voice vote violated both the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.

“We are not against the creation of state police. Whatever will help address insecurity in Nigeria, we are prepared to support. But every action taken by Parliament must follow due process”, he added.

Questions Over Voting Procedure

The opposition lawmakers disclosed that they had earlier engaged the Speaker on proposed amendments to the bill and were reportedly assured that some of their concerns would be accommodated before final consideration.

However, they alleged that they were denied the opportunity to raise constitutional points of order before the vote was taken.

The lawmakers further questioned how the constitutional amendment could satisfy the required two-thirds majority after opposition members had exited the chamber.

“If we walked out of the House, where are our votes? Can anybody decide a constitutional amendment with a voice vote? It is not possible”, they argued.

Describing the development as a dangerous precedent, the Minority Caucus warned that failure to comply strictly with constitutional procedures could undermine the credibility of the National Assembly and weaken Nigeria’s democratic institutions.