The National Assembly has begun incorporating constitutional safeguards to prevent governors from abusing state police powers, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said, expressing confidence that the proposed security reform will receive swift approval from state legislatures.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, Bamidele described state police as “a child of necessity,” saying lawmakers were deliberately designing constitutional and legal mechanisms to ensure accountability and limit political interference.
Acknowledging concerns that governors could misuse state-controlled police formations, the Senate Leader said the National Assembly was addressing such fears through the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
“There will always be fears and concerns, but whether the concerns are well founded is another issue altogether, and we are not unmindful of them.
“They are legitimate concerns, but even with the federal police, a governor who is the chief security officer of a state can still influence how policing is carried out, depending on how much the system allows manipulation.
“Most importantly, we are putting mechanisms in the law as we amend the Constitution that will prevent or minimise instances of abuse by state governors,” he said.
Bamidele explained that while the Constitution would provide the framework for state policing, additional safeguards would be contained in amendments to the Police Act.
“As much as possible, not everything can go into the Constitution. What’s important is that all the governors, or most of them, are on the same page with us. That will be demonstrated by the speed with which the bill receives concurrence in their state Houses of Assembly.
“It is important that we all know that state police is a child of necessity,” he added.
He dismissed claims that the proposal was politically motivated, insisting that Nigeria’s worsening security situation had made decentralised policing unavoidable.
“In the amendment to the Police Act that will follow, we will spell out more details, details that cannot possibly go into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking after the meeting, Ekiti State Governor Abiodun Oyebanji said governors had resolved to support the creation of state police and were awaiting the transmission of the constitutional amendment to their respective Houses of Assembly.
“We are ready for state police, and we are grateful to the National Assembly for the constitutional amendments. We are waiting for them to be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly.
“The governors have made up their minds that they will give it speedy approval so we can start implementing,” Oyebanji said.
The governor also reflected on his recent re-election victory, attributing it to divine favour and President Tinubu’s support, which he said helped his administration deliver on campaign promises.
Oyebanji disclosed that he had begun reconciling with his political opponents, stressing that governance should now take precedence over politics.
“The election ended when the winner was declared. I phoned the two other candidates, and together with the chairman of the campaign council, we visited one of them and had an understanding.
“Once I return to Ekiti, I will visit the other one. They have assured me of their cooperation because politics is over and we must return to governance.
“I told them I would need their wisdom, suggestions and advice as we continue to serve the people,” he said.
He added that his administration would remain focused on implementing Ekiti State’s 30-year development plan, describing it as the blueprint for government policies and annual budgets.
Looking ahead to the 2027 presidential election, Oyebanji projected a stronger performance for President Tinubu in Ekiti, expressing confidence that the state could deliver between 600,000 and 700,000 votes for the President.
He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had consistently increased its vote tally in the state—from about 187,000 votes in the 2022 governorship election to 210,000 in the 2023 presidential election and approximately 318,000 in the recently concluded governorship poll.
“Based on that trajectory, a target of between 600,000 and 700,000 votes for the President in 2027 is achievable,” he said.
