The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved President Bola Tinubu’s executive bill seeking to establish state police services, but the proceedings ended in controversy after members of the Minority Caucus staged a walkout in protest over what they described as violations of constitutional procedures.
The constitutional amendment 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 lawmakers adopted the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 lawmakers supported the proposal, with 276 members voting physically on the floor of the House and 35 participating virtually.
The legislation seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for state police services as part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
President Tinubu had transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the National Assembly, describing it as a major pillar of his administration’s security reform agenda. He said the proposal would establish a dual policing system with safeguards designed to improve internal security and urged lawmakers to fast-track its consideration.
However, moments after the bill was approved, Minority lawmakers walked out of the chamber, insisting that while they supported the idea of state policing, they rejected the procedure adopted for its passage.
Speaking to journalists after the protest, Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi accused the House leadership of disregarding constitutional requirements governing amendments to the nation’s supreme law.
He argued that Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution requires constitutional amendment bills to be considered clause by clause, with each provision securing the support of at least two-thirds of members.
According to Agbedi, the House instead relied on a voice vote after only the long title of the bill was read, bypassing detailed consideration of individual clauses as prescribed by the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.
He described the approach as a serious departure from established legislative practice, stressing that the Constitution remains the supreme authority guiding parliamentary proceedings.
Before considering the executive proposal, the House rescinded its earlier resolution of June 11, 2026, on state police and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee set up on July 9 to harmonise previous legislative efforts on the issue.
The bill will now move to the remaining stages of the constitutional amendment process, including approval by the required number of state Houses of Assembly, before it can become part of the Constitution.
