Minority leaders stage walkout as Reps approve state police bill

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the executive bill seeking to establish state police services, but the decision was overshadowed by a walkout staged by leaders of the Minority Caucus, who accused the House leadership of violating constitutional provisions and parliamentary procedures.

A total of 311 lawmakers voted in support of the constitutional amendment, with Speaker Abbas Tajudeen disclosing that 276 members were physically present during the exercise while 35 participated virtually.

The bill, 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 (HB. 2797),” was passed after the House considered and adopted the report of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of state police services as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the House for consideration.

Shortly after the bill was passed, members of the Minority Caucus walked out of the chamber in protest, insisting that their objection was not against the establishment of state police but against what they described as a breach of constitutional procedures.

Addressing journalists, Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi said the Speaker, while presiding over the Committee of the Whole, ignored the requirements of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution governing constitutional amendments.

“The Constitution is the grand norm. It is the rule book from which even our Standing Orders derive their powers.

For the Speaker, acting as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, to disregard the clear provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution is a great affront to the workings of the House of Representatives,” Agbedi said.

The Minority Caucus argued that constitutional amendment bills must be considered clause by clause, with each provision receiving the support of a two-thirds majority of members, as stipulated by both the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.

The lawmakers also faulted the decision to determine the bill’s passage through a voice vote after only the long title was read, rather than subjecting each clause to detailed consideration.

In his letter accompanying the bill, President Tinubu said the proposal builds on previous legislative efforts and introduces safeguards for the creation of a dual policing structure capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.

He described the constitutional amendment as a key component of his administration’s security reforms and expressed confidence that lawmakers would give the proposal expeditious consideration.

Following receipt of the executive bill, the House rescinded its earlier resolution of June 11, 2026, on the establishment of state police services and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee constituted on July 9, 2026.

The bill will now proceed through the remaining stages of the constitutional amendment process before it can become law.