Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has announced significant progress on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, with at least 30 state Houses of Assembly approving the bill. This development marks a historic milestone in Nigeria's efforts to restructure its security architecture and establish a more responsive policing system. According to Bamidele, the National Assembly is targeting December 2026 to complete the remaining legislative processes and transmit the bill to the President for assent.
The approval of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill by 30 state assemblies has satisfied the constitutional threshold required for the proposed amendment. Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all state Houses of Assembly for a constitutional alteration. Bamidele described this development as a significant step towards making Nigeria's security architecture more responsive to local needs.
Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made these remarks while delivering a lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Jos, Plateau State. The lecture examined the role of proactive lawmaking in improving governance, strengthening public institutions, and addressing the country's development challenges.
The Senate Leader emphasized that the performance of the 10th National Assembly should be measured by the impact of its legislative initiatives and interventions on Nigerians, rather than the number of bills passed into law. He expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, describing it as a move from rhetoric to reality.
According to Bamidele, the National Assembly will now consider and collate the reports transmitted by the state assemblies before passing a resolution by a simple majority in both chambers. This will pave the way for the bill to be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent after the required legislative processes have been completed.
Bamidele outlined the next steps in the legislative process, stating that the National Assembly is constitutionally obligated to consider the reports transmitted by the State Houses of Assembly, collate those reports, and pass a resolution by simple majority of members in both chambers. Once this resolution is passed, the Alteration Bill will be transmitted to the President for assent.
The Senate Leader's announcement is a significant development in Nigeria's quest to re-engineer its security architecture and make it more responsive, local, and effective. The National Assembly's December 2026 deadline for completing the remaining legislative processes sets a clear timeline for the bill's passage into law.
Key points
- At least 30 state Houses of Assembly have approved the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026.
- The National Assembly aims to complete the remaining legislative processes by December 2026.
- The bill's passage is expected to make Nigeria's security architecture more responsive to local needs.
