The House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish State Police across Nigeria, despite a walkout by members of the minority caucus over the procedure adopted during the consideration of the legislation.
The minority lawmakers argued that the constitutional amendment process was not properly followed and that the bill required further scrutiny before being passed.
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,” the legislation secured the constitutionally required two-thirds majority in the House.
The bill was transmitted to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to decentralise policing and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture amid persistent insecurity across the country.
If harmonised with the Senate version, approved by at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly and assented to by the President, the amendment would provide the constitutional foundation for the establishment of State Police Services.
Presenting the report of the House Committee on Constitution Review, its Chairman and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, described the proposal as one of the most significant constitutional reforms in Nigeria’s security sector.
Kalu commended President Tinubu for transmitting the executive bill, saying it demonstrated constructive collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government.
He said the amendment would bring policing closer to the people, improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and enable state governments to respond more effectively to emerging security threats.
“This bill is not merely about creating another policing institution. It is about bringing policing closer to the people, strengthening intelligence gathering, enhancing community policing, improving coordination among security agencies and empowering governments to respond more effectively to the complex and evolving security challenges confronting our nation,” Kalu said.
He acknowledged that the proposal might not satisfy every stakeholder but argued that constitutional reform was an incremental process.
According to him, the amendment would only establish the constitutional foundation for State Police, while issues relating to recruitment, training, funding, operational standards, accountability and intergovernmental coordination would be addressed through subsequent legislation.
“We must not allow the pursuit of perfection to become the enemy of meaningful progress,” he added.
However, the consideration of the bill was marred by controversy during the Committee of the Whole.
Rather than proceeding with a clause-by-clause consideration and voting, the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, read the long title of the bill before putting it to a voice vote.
Before the vote, Abbas announced that 311 lawmakers had indicated support for the legislation. The figure, according to him, comprised 211 members of the All Progressives Congress, 65 lawmakers from other political parties who were physically present and 35 members participating virtually through the House’s electronic platform.
He explained that the Constitution requires the support of at least two-thirds of the 360-member House, equivalent to 240 votes, for a constitutional amendment to pass.
The Minority Leader, Frederick Agbedi, repeatedly attempted to raise a point of order but was not recognised by the Speaker.
Abbas subsequently called for a voice vote, asking lawmakers in support of the bill to say “aye” and those opposed to say “nay”.
After declaring that the “ayes” had prevailed, members of the minority caucus staged a walkout in protest.
The development caused a commotion in the Green Chamber, with the Speaker repeatedly hitting the gavel in an attempt to restore order.
Speaking to journalists after the walkout, the minority caucus spokesman, Afam Ogene, questioned the method used to determine the number of lawmakers present as well as the voting procedure adopted.
He argued that the attendance register signed by lawmakers at the commencement of plenary remained the legitimate means of determining the quorum.
“We were shocked to hear names being read out that we do not know where they came from. The way of determining members present in a sitting is through the register. That is why members sign it every legislative day,” Ogene said.
He further alleged that Abbas, while presiding over the Committee of the Whole, violated Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution by failing to allow lawmakers to consider and amend the bill clause by clause.
Agbedi stressed that the minority caucus was not opposed to the establishment of State Police but objected to what it described as a failure to follow due legislative process.
“We are not against state police. Whatever will help address insecurity in this country, we will support. But every action of Parliament must follow due process,” he said.
According to Agbedi, the House Standing Orders require every clause of a constitutional amendment bill to be separately considered and approved by the required two-thirds majority.
He said lawmakers were denied the opportunity to scrutinise individual provisions, propose amendments and vote on the clauses separately.
The Minority Leader also alleged that he was prevented from raising a constitutional point of order before being ruled out of order by the Chair.
“If we walked out of the chamber, where then did our votes come from? Can anyone count our votes? Can a constitutional amendment be decided by a voice vote?
“The Constitution and our Standing Orders require a two-thirds majority for each clause,” Agbedi argued.
He maintained that the walkout was intended to defend parliamentary integrity and uphold the rule of law, rather than oppose the establishment of State Police.
