The Nigerian Senate has issued a November 15 deadline to six state assemblies to submit their positions on the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police. The affected states are Kano, Benue, Niger, Abia, Oyo, and Cross Rivers. Failure to respond could be treated as withholding consent. This ultimatum was announced during a plenary session by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, following a status update on nationwide consultations over the legislation.
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau clarified that the Kano State House of Assembly had formally passed the bill and was in the process of transmitting its resolution to the National Assembly leadership. This development comes as a relief to the Senate, which had been anxiously waiting for Kano's response. The Senate's patience with other state assemblies is wearing thin, however, as they have yet to receive responses from six states.
Despite the delay from a handful of state legislatures, the proposed constitutional amendment has already surpassed the mandatory legal threshold required for constitutional alterations. Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), approval from at least two-thirds (24 out of 36) of the State Houses of Assembly is required before a constitutional amendment can proceed to the executive branch.
According to Senator Bamidele, 30 state assemblies have officially voted in favour of the bill. He listed the states as Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara. This significant milestone demonstrates widespread support for the proposed state police.
Senator Bamidele emphasized that two-thirds of 36 states is 24, and they have already secured approval from 30 states. With this significant level of support, the National Assembly is now poised to compile all state responses and transmit the approved State Police amendment to President Tinubu for final assent. The President's assent will be crucial in bringing the proposed constitutional amendment into effect.
The National Assembly plans to finalize the process shortly after the November 15 deadline. According to the Senate, the bill will be officially transmitted to President Tinubu for his assent later in the day. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin read a letter from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, stating this development during the plenary session.
The proposed state police constitutional amendment has been a long-standing effort to reform Nigeria's policing system. If successful, it will grant states the power to establish and manage their own police forces, potentially improving security and accountability. With the November 15 deadline set, all eyes are on the six state assemblies yet to respond, as well as the President, who will have the final say on the proposed amendment.
Key points
- The Nigerian Senate has given six state assemblies until November 15 to submit their positions on the proposed state police constitutional amendment.
- 30 state assemblies have officially voted in favour of the proposed state police bill.
- The proposed constitutional amendment has already surpassed the mandatory legal threshold required for constitutional alterations.
