Politics
ADC, Peter Obi raise fresh concerns over state police bill
THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have criticised the National Assembly’s passage of the state police bill, warning that the proposed reform could be vulnerable to abuse if implemented without adequate safeguards.
In separate statements on Friday, June 26, they described the establishment of state police as a necessary constitutional reform but argued that the legislative process had been rushed and lacked sufficient public consultation.
The criticisms came days after the National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
The ADC said while it had consistently supported decentralised policing, it could not endorse what it described as the Tinubu administration’s ‘panicky’ handling of the reform.
For Obi, one of his biggest concerns about the development is that President Bola Tinubu’s administration could use the new policing structure to influence the 2027 general election.
In its reaction, the ADC said state police had been a long-standing constitutional proposal that enjoyed broad national support and should not be presented as a new initiative or an immediate solution to the country’s security challenges.
“What we are witnessing is a hurried response to a worsening security crisis, not the careful institutional planning required to build a functional, accountable, and effective policing system,” the party said.
The party argued that the legislation was being rushed through the National Assembly without the broad consultation required for a constitutional amendment of such significance.
“It is too important, and the security of Nigerians too urgent, to be reduced to a quick legislative fix or rushed through the National Assembly without the broad consultation such a far-reaching reform demands,” the party stated.
The opposition party questioned why Tinubu’s administration waited until the latter part of its tenure before pursuing the constitutional amendment if it was genuinely committed to decentralised policing.
It also warned that passing the law would only mark the beginning of a much more complex process involving recruitment, training, funding, operational guidelines, command structures and oversight mechanisms.
The ADC further raised concerns over the absence of clear safeguards to prevent state police from becoming instruments of political intimidation.
Similarly, Obi described the passage of the bill as a significant legislative milestone but expressed concerns over what he called a disorderly legislative process.
He said decentralised policing had long been advocated by security experts and stakeholders because Nigeria’s centralised policing system was ill-suited to a country of its size and diversity.
However, Obi faulted the manner in which the bill was passed, saying there was no public hearing on such a sensitive constitutional amendment.
“The process should involve greater community participation. Policing should be more visible at the local government and community levels,” he said.
According to him, the speed with which the legislation was enacted had fueled suspicion about possible political motives.
Obi said the greatest concern was not logistics but the possibility that governors could weaponise state police against opponents.
“There is a widespread, justifiable fear that state police forces could become instruments in the hands of governors,” he said, adding that such forces could be used to suppress opposition, disrupt political rallies and influence elections.
He called for the establishment of independent state Police Service Commissions insulated from executive control to oversee recruitment, discipline and operations.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
