- The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, have declared their support for decentralizing Nigeria’s security architecture through state police but strongly warned the federal government against rushing its deployment.
- In a newly released political review, Peter Obi specifically urged President Bola Tinubu to defer the operational rollout of state police forces until after the 2027 general elections, warning that a rushed implementation without rigid independent safeguards could see governors weaponize the architecture for raw political proxy warfare.
- The warnings follow the swift passage of the Constitution Alteration Bill by the National Assembly, a milestone that the ADC labeled as a desperate, superficial “silver bullet” reaction to a structural security emergency rather than the product of deep, institutionalized planning and public consultation.
The passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly has triggered intense debate across the political spectrum, with prominent opposition figures backing the decentralization of security while vehemently warning against its hasty implementation.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in a newly released assessment of the legislation, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, expressed serious concerns that a rushed deployment could leave the new security structure vulnerable to severe political weaponization ahead of the 2027 general elections.
EDITOR’S PICK
- Hamzat Appoints Obanikoro as Campaign DG Ahead of 2027 Lagos Governorship Race
- Tinubu’s State Police Plan Gains Momentum as Amendment Looms
- Residents Raise Alarm After Two Bodies Found in Lagos Waterway
The widespread apprehension follows the rapid legislative progression of the Constitution Alteration Bill, which seeks to move policing from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
This critical shift formally empowers state governments to establish, fund, and run their own independent police commands alongside a restructured federal police service.
While the proposed amendment contains structural safeguards, such as allowing state commissioners to challenge unlawful executive directives before the National Police Council, opposition figures remain skeptical about the true level of institutional insulation from sitting governors.
In a comprehensive public statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC maintained that while the party has historically championed a decentralized policing architecture to mirror true federalism, it completely rejects the current administration’s rushed approach.
The party argued that the Tinubu administration is treating a long-standing national consensus as a novel “silver bullet” to paint a superficial picture of decisive action against rampant banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping.
According to the ADC, establishing functional, professional, and accountable state police forces requires deep institutional planning, massive financial investments in training and forensics, and extensive public consultation rather than hurried, reactionary constitutional amendments.
Expressing similar reservations, NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi described the bill’s legislative passage as a significant milestone, acknowledging that a highly centralized command structure is fundamentally unsuited for a complex nation like Nigeria.
However, Obi openly questioned the transparency of the current timeline, asserting that there is absolutely no guarantee the ruling elite will resist the temptation to exploit state policing apparatuses to influence electoral outcomes in 2027.
To protect the integrity of the democratic process, the former Anambra State governor strongly advised the federal government to freeze the operational execution of the state police commands until the conclusion of the next general elections.
The historic bill, passed overwhelmingly via manual voting in both chambers of the National Assembly, must now be transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, where it requires structural ratification by a minimum of 24 states before it can be forwarded for presidential assent.
Security analysts emphasize that while the legislation creates provisions for federal financial grants to support states with operational difficulties, existing local and regional security outfits like Amotekun, Ebube Agu, and Hisbah will not automatically morph into state police forces or bear firearms under this framework unless explicitly restructured by fresh legislative Acts.
