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By Samuel Ike, Abuja<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN) has called on the National Assembly to formally transmit the State Police Constitution Amendment Bill to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, stating that state lawmakers cannot begin deliberations on the proposal until it is officially received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference noted that although both chambers of the National Assembly have passed the bill, it has yet to be forwarded to state legislatures as required under the constitutional amendment process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking in Asaba, Delta State, Chairman of the Conference and Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Dennis Guwor, clarified that contrary to public perception, the bill is not currently before any state assembly for consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will be difficult for state assemblies to deliberate on the bill until it is officially transmitted to us. Although both chambers of the National Assembly have passed identical versions of the legislation, the bill has not yet been received by the state legislatures,\u201d Guwor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He expressed confidence that the National Assembly would complete the transmission process in due course, enabling state lawmakers to commence consideration of the proposed amendment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Nigeria\u2019s constitutional amendment procedure, any amendment to the Constitution must be approved by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing a minimum of 24 states, before it can become law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The State Police Bill is one of the most significant constitutional reform proposals in recent years, aimed at creating a dual policing structure that would allow states to establish and manage their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Senate passed the Executive State Police Bill on June 24, 2026, after considering the report of the Constitution Review Committee chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The House of Representatives subsequently approved the legislation on July 23, 2026, with 311 lawmakers voting in support of the bill. Of the total votes recorded, 276 members voted physically, while 35 participated virtually, exceeding the constitutional threshold of 240 votes required for passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had transmitted the executive bill to the House of Representatives on July 14, describing it as an improved version of previous state policing proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the President, the bill contains additional safeguards designed to ensure accountability, prevent abuse, and promote effective coordination between federal and state policing structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The push for state police has gained momentum in recent years amid growing concerns over insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, and other criminal activities across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporters of the proposal argue that state-controlled police formations would improve intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing, and enable quicker responses to local security challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, critics have expressed concerns that state police could be misused by political officeholders, particularly during elections and political disputes, making constitutional safeguards a key aspect of the ongoing reform effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the National Assembly having completed its legislative work on the bill, attention is now shifting to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, whose approval will determine whether the proposed state police system becomes part of Nigeria\u2019s constitutional framework.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Samuel Ike, Abuja The Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSSLN) has called on the National Assembly to formally transmit the State Police Constitution Amendment Bill to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pages"],"yoast_head":"\n