The National Assembly has transmitted the 2026 constitutional amendment bill to Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly, but the legislation now before the state lawmakers is narrower than the broader package of constitutional reforms that has been under consideration.
The bill sent to the states is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish State Police Services alongside the existing Federal Police Service.
The proposal is the only constitutional amendment bill from the current review exercise that has so far been passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and therefore reached the stage requiring approval by the states.
Under the proposed arrangement, states would be able to establish their own police services through legislation passed by their respective Houses of Assembly. The Federal Police Service would continue to handle federal policing responsibilities, including areas such as terrorism, national security, interstate crime and international criminal activities.
The proposed State Police Services would primarily be responsible for policing within their respective states. The bill also provides for national standards covering areas including recruitment, training, discipline, use of force, firearms, custody and accountability.
Another significant provision concerns circumstances in which the Federal Government could intervene in the operation of a State Police Service. The proposed framework sets out conditions involving serious breakdowns in public order, operational incapacity or alleged systematic violations of fundamental rights.
The bill now requires approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, meaning a minimum of 24 state legislatures must concur before the constitutional alteration can move to the next stage.
The National Assembly has asked the state assemblies to communicate their decisions within 30 days of receiving the bill. However, the Clerk to the National Assembly clarified that the 30-day period is an administrative expectation and not a constitutional deadline.
Several other constitutional reform proposals remain under consideration at the federal level and were not transmitted to the state assemblies at this stage.
Those proposals include local government autonomy, special legislative seats for women, independent candidacy, recognition of traditional rulers, electoral reforms, judicial reforms and the proposed Electoral Offences Commission.
Other proposals concern the creation of additional states and local government areas, devolution of powers, financial accountability, citizenship, environmental rights and reforms to the structure and administration of the judiciary.
The distinction is important because the transmission of the State Police Bill does not mean that all the proposed constitutional amendments have reached the state assemblies. The other proposals must first complete the required legislative stages at the National Assembly before they can proceed to state-level consideration.
The state assemblies are therefore now at the centre of the next stage of the State Police constitutional amendment process. Their decisions will determine whether the proposal secures the required constitutional support to proceed further.
Leave a comment