The Senate has given the six state Houses of Assembly yet to communicate their positions on the proposed establishment of state police until November 15, warning that failure to respond by the deadline will be treated as withholding approval.
The decision followed an update by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during plenary on Wednesday, indicating that 30 of the 36 state assemblies had approved the proposed constitutional amendment.
Although the 30 approvals have exceeded the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of 24 state assemblies, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed for additional time to allow the remaining six legislatures to make their positions known.
Akpabio said any state assembly that failed to communicate its position by November 15 would be deemed to have withheld its approval.
The six states yet to respond are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Borno.
Bamidele explained that the number of approvals already received had surpassed the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, representing 24 states.
He also outlined the three stages required to complete the constitutional amendment process: passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly and presidential assent.
The proposed amendment is part of ongoing efforts to establish state police in Nigeria, with the Senate seeking to conclude the state assembly consultation process ahead of the next stage of the constitutional review.
