African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has urged the Federal Government to suspend discussions on the proposed state police bill until after the 2027 general elections, warning that introducing such a major constitutional reform ahead of the polls could undermine the electoral process.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Sowore said the timing of the proposed legislation was inappropriate, arguing that political actors are already focused on preparations for the next general election.
“I would say that we wait until the elections are over. The election is a major distraction at this time — the election is months away, and everybody is going to be more interested in how to campaign, how to choose their candidates, and how to ensure the elections are free and fair,” he said.
“To now insert state policing, a very major, major constitutional change of fundamental federal structural change that could lead to structural damage or that could lead to interference with the election, is not the best time.
“That is the only issue I have with it being rushed. So when we are done with the elections, we can commence immediately with a conversation about state policing and who is where in terms of breaking down the architecture in the country.”
Sowore’s remarks come a day after the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced that the draft National Policing Bill is expected to be presented to President Bola Tinubu on September 3 for consideration.
Briefing journalists after a meeting of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Gbajabiamila said the executive bill package would be submitted to the President before a nationwide consultation is held.
“The resulting executive bill package is scheduled for presentation to the President on the third of September. Subject to his approval, a national consultation on the completed draft will follow,” he said.
“But I think that we have tweaked that so the national consultation will come before the President’s final approval, after which the text and supporting materials will be revised and prepared for formal transmission to the National Assembly.”
Gbajabiamila, who chairs the presidential working group, said the reform process follows a seven-week implementation plan running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, covering legal drafting, policy research, data analysis and implementation modelling.
Reacting to the development, Sowore argued that the process was being rushed and lacked adequate public participation for a constitutional amendment of such significance.
“I also align, and I agree with those people who say this is suspicious, that this is being rushed and it’s not going through proper parliamentary procedures for the enactment of a major law like this, because this is a major constitutional change that we are going to experience.
“And that it should have been open to public debate. It should have gone across the states so that the public can make input, but we are being rushed and considering that the election year [is around the corner],” he said.
The activist also expressed reservations about placing state police under the control of governors, questioning whether they could be trusted with such powers, particularly during election periods.
“Nigerian state governors are not trustworthy to be handed, you know, security personnel of this scale,” he said.
He added that his concern was to ensure “that we don’t end up in the middle of elections with state police in the hands of these very ravenous political juggernauts who are called governors, apparently some of the most powerful politicians in the country.”
Calls for the establishment of state police have intensified amid rising insecurity across parts of the country. President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly expressed support for the initiative and urged the National Assembly to fast-track the necessary legislation.
However, critics continue to raise concerns over the potential abuse of state police by political officeholders and the funding required to sustain the proposed system.
