• Party wants fresh legislative process, alleges constitutional breaches
• Questions House vote, cites WhatsApp ballots, lawmakers’ absence
• Rights group seeks draft bill before public memoranda
• Sowore urges delay until after elections, warns govs could abuse powers
• CBCN backs state police, urges safeguards against abuse

Fresh concerns have emerged over the handling of the proposed state police bill, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore warning that the process lacks transparency, public scrutiny and the procedural safeguards required for a constitutional amendment.

The criticisms come as the Federal Government advances plans to establish state police, with President Bola Tinubu expected to receive the draft National Policing Bill next month after consultations with stakeholders.

The African Democratic Congress called on the House of Representatives to recommit the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill to a fresh and transparent legislative process, alleging that the current handling of the proposed amendment undermines constitutional provisions.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party questioned reports that the constitutional threshold for passing the bill was achieved through votes transmitted via WhatsApp and by counting lawmakers who were no longer present in the chamber when the matter was put to a vote.

The ADC argued that the current version of the bill had not been subjected to sufficient public scrutiny, warning that legislation of such national importance should not be driven by political expediency or insulated from rigorous public debate, particularly given concerns over possible political abuse despite broad support for the establishment of state police.

The party said it supports the creation of a policing system capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges but could not endorse a process that undermines the Constitution it seeks to amend.

“According to accounts publicly given by members who participated in the proceedings of the House of Representatives on 23 July 2026, the constitutional threshold for the amendments was achieved by recognising votes transmitted through WhatsApp from members who were absent from the Chamber and by counting members who had signed the attendance register but were no longer present when the question was put.

“These allegations raise profound legal and constitutional concerns. The Constitution is not amended by convenience. It is amended through strict procedures that leave no room for improvisation. Therefore, regardless of the noble intentions behind the amendment, the constitutional process for amendment must not be circumvented.

“The ADC is indeed concerned by reports that meaningful clause-by-clause consideration of the bill was curtailed and that constitutional objections raised during the proceedings were not given proper consideration.

“Constitutional alteration demands openness, robust debate and strict fidelity to both the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House. This appears not to be the case in respect of this particular amendment.”

The party also expressed concern that the current version of the State Police Bill had not undergone the level of public scrutiny required for a constitutional reform of such significance.

It noted that although the idea of state police had featured in previous constitutional review exercises, the latest proposal contains significant policy reforms that Nigerians have not had the opportunity to examine through a dedicated public process.

“It is one thing to pass a Bill for political expediency. It is another thing to ensure that it actually solves the problem it was intended to solve. The objective is not merely to establish another police institution. It is to reduce the insecurity that has devastated communities across the country. This is why this new proposal for the establishment of State Police demands scrutiny, not legislative manipulation.

“Unless this Bill is subjected to rigorous public examination, we risk enacting legislation that has survived only the echo chamber of the ruling party rather than the searching questions of the Nigerian people,” the party said.

RULAAC urges FG to publish policing bill before seeking public memoranda
ALSO, the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, urged the Federal Government to publish the proposed National Policing Bill before inviting Nigerians to submit memoranda, arguing that meaningful public participation requires access to the draft legislation.

Nwanguma made the call while reacting to the Federal Government’s invitation to stakeholders and members of the public to submit memoranda on the proposed state police framework.

He described the invitation as a positive step but said the consultation process lacked transparency because the draft bill had not been made available for public scrutiny.

“Public consultation should begin with the publication of the draft legislation. Nigerians cannot submit useful memoranda on a bill they have not seen,” he said.

According to him, the proposed legislation represents one of the most significant constitutional and institutional reforms since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule and should be subjected to extensive public debate.

Nwanguma said the state police proposal would redefine policing powers, federal-state relations, accountability mechanisms, funding arrangements and safeguards against abuse, making broad stakeholder engagement essential.

He also criticised the legislative process, saying the bill moved rapidly through the National Assembly without the public hearings expected for a constitutional reform of such magnitude.

“If this state police bill is about public safety and security, then Nigerians, in whose name the bill is being proposed, should be able to study it and make informed contributions,” he said.

The RULAAC executive director urged the Presidential Working Group to immediately release the draft National Policing Bill, along with any proposed constitutional amendments, to enable state governments, civil society organisations, professional bodies, legal practitioners, academics, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to examine the proposals before submitting recommendations.

He also called on the National Assembly to fulfil what he described as its constitutional responsibility by publishing the bill, inviting written memoranda and conducting open public hearings before taking any final legislative action.

“Transparency should not be an afterthought. It should be the foundation of the process,” Nwanguma said.

He maintained that public participation without public access to the proposed legislation amounts to an uninformed consultation, insisting that Nigerians deserve adequate time and information to contribute meaningfully to reforms that could reshape the country’s policing structure.

Sowore urges delay in state police bill until after 2027 elections
FOR his part, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, called on the Federal Government to suspend deliberations on the proposed state police bill until after the 2027 general elections, warning that introducing such far-reaching constitutional reforms close to an election could undermine the electoral process.

Speaking on yesterday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Sowore said the timing of the proposed legislation was inappropriate, as political actors were already focused on preparations for the elections.

“I would say that we wait until the elections are over. The election is a major distraction at this time. The election is months away, and everybody is going to be more interested in how to campaign, how to choose their candidates, and how to ensure the elections are free and fair,” he said.

He argued that introducing a major constitutional amendment at this stage could interfere with the electoral process.

“To now insert state policing, a very major, major constitutional change of fundamental federal structural change that could lead to structural damage or that could lead to interference with the election, is not the best time.

“That is the only issue I have with it being rushed. So when we are done with the elections, we can commence immediately with a conversation about state policing and who is where in terms of breaking down the architecture in the country.”

On Monday, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said President Bola Tinubu is expected to take the next major step in the proposed policing reforms on September 3, when the draft National Policing Bill will be presented to him for approval.

Sowore also questioned the speed with which the bill is being processed, saying a constitutional amendment of such significance should be subjected to wider public consultation.

“I also align, and I agree with those people who say this is suspicious, that this is being rushed and it’s not going through proper parliamentary procedures for the enactment of a major law like this, because this is a major constitutional change that we are going to experience.

“And that it should have been open to public debate. It should have gone across the states so that the public can make input, but we are being rushed and considering that the election year (is around the corner),” he said.

The AAC candidate also expressed reservations about placing state police under the control of governors, arguing that many state chief executives could abuse such powers.

“Nigerian state governors are not trustworthy to be handed, you know, security personnel of this scale,” he said.

He added that he was concerned that the proposed arrangement could leave state police in the hands of “these very ravenous political juggernauts who are called governors” during the elections.

CBCN president backs state police, calls for strong safeguards
MEANWHILE, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, has endorsed the proposed establishment of state police, saying the system can strengthen security if supported by appropriate laws, accountability and effective oversight.

Ndagoso, who is also the Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, stated this yesterday while addressing journalists during the 2026 Priests’ Day celebration in Kaduna.

He argued that fears of possible abuse should not prevent Nigeria from adopting a policing structure that has proved effective in many parts of the world.

“The case for state police is very simple: every crime committed anywhere in the world is committed in a particular place, in a locality,” he said.

According to him, state police would enable communities to play a greater role in securing their areas because officers recruited locally would be more familiar with the terrain and the people.

“The hope with state police is that most of the police in each state, in each locality, will be people who know the terrain, who know their backyard, and therefore will be able to police it very, very well,” he said.

Ndagoso acknowledged that every policing system is open to abuse but maintained that such concerns should not stand in the way of reform.

“Even the present federal policing system has abuses. Certainly, there are abuses. So, everything can be abused. To be immobilised by the fear of abuse is not a progressive way of living,” he said.

He maintained that Nigeria’s greatest challenge is not the absence of laws but weak enforcement.

“Our biggest problem in this country is that when people break laws, there are no consequences. If there are consequences, a lot of the abuses that we see in our institutions will be curbed,” he said.