The House of Representatives has passed the Executive Bill seeking to establish state police in Nigeria, moving the proposed constitutional amendment closer to the next stage of approval.
The bill, which was presented to the House by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was approved during Thursday’s plenary after lawmakers withdrew their earlier version of the state police proposal to consider the Executive-backed bill.
The development followed the Senate’s earlier approval of the same bill, meaning both chambers of the National Assembly have now endorsed the proposal before its transmission to state Houses of Assembly for further consideration.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 lawmakers participated in the voting process, including members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), opposition lawmakers, and others who voted electronically.
However, the process was marked by disagreement among lawmakers, as some opposition members led by Minority Leader Fred Agbedi walked out of the chamber to express their concerns over the voting process.
Other opposition lawmakers, including Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi, remained in the chamber and took part in the proceedings.
Before the vote, the House approved temporary measures allowing lawmakers to participate through electronic voting, citing provisions in its standing rules and constitutional requirements for amendments.
The move was adopted to meet the requirement of securing a two-thirds majority needed for constitutional changes.
During the session, there was tension after Lagos lawmaker Okey Jesse-Onuakalusi attempted to raise objections while the constitution review report was being presented. However, Speaker Tajudeen did not allow him to continue, leading to a heated moment on the floor.
The proposed state police system is expected to allow states to establish their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force, with supporters arguing that it would improve security response and intelligence gathering.
The bill will now proceed through the remaining constitutional amendment stages before it can become law.
