The Senate yesterday defended the passage of the State Police Bill, insisting that 84 of the 109 senators voted in support of the bill during its clause-by-clause consideration, describing the outcome as evidence of broad bipartisan backing for the constitutional amendment.

However, Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, challenged the Northern elite to rise against the incessant challenges bedevilling the region, arguing that ‘no messiah’ will solve problems confronting the North.

Defending the Senate’s decision in a statement issued by his media office, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said the proposal was the product of years of consultations, public hearings and stakeholder engagements across the country.

Bamidele also dismissed claims that the proposal was driven by partisan interests, insisting that it emerged from extensive consultations with the executive, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures and the police.

He noted that public hearings conducted across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025 produced overwhelming support for state police.

“The state police bill was subjected to intense debates at the Senate and House of Representatives. Though the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the majority party, opposition legislators actively took part in the process that approved the state police initiative.

“They exercised their discretion in favour of the proposal, mainly in the national interest and not on a parochial basis. In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the bill. This accounted for 77.06 per cent approval at the Senate alone,” he explained.

The clarification comes amid growing debate over the proposed decentralisation of policing, with supporters arguing that state police would improve security at the grassroots, while critics fear governors could misuse the outfit to intimidate political opponents.

SANUSI insisted that traditional rulers and political elite in the North must work together to rebuild the region and improve the lives of the people, adding that God would question each person on what they did to better the society.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) gave the admonition, weekend, while speaking at the yearly Dhikr and National Prayers organised by the Tijaniyya sect held at the ancient palace.

“We must first change ourselves before asking Allah to change our situation. We cannot continue waiting for others to solve our problems. Even our own people have come and gone without doing what needed to be done. We must work together to restore the lost glory of our land. There was a time others looked up to us with admiration, but today we are labelled as illiterate, uneducated and lacking peace, though many of these allegations are untrue.

“As traditional rulers and politicians, we must work together because Allah will ask each of us what we did to improve society. Let us pray that Allah grants us the strength and the opportunity to transform this region and improve the lives of our people,” Sanusi added.

He used the occasion to applause Governor Abba Yusuf’s administration.

Responding, Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to serving the people of Kano with sincerity, justice and fear of God, pledging to sustain policies and programmes that improve the lives of citizens.