- Opposition Lawmakers Walk Out As Reps Pass State Police Bill
- Minority lawmakers protest procedure and challenge how clauses were approved.
- Opposition says it supports state police but demands due process.
Opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Thursday walked out of the chamber as the lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police amid disagreements over the procedure adopted during its consideration.
The bill, transmitted to the House by President Bola Tinubu on July 14, was passed during a clause by clause consideration by the Committee of the Whole, presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the House had earlier passed a similar bill on June 11 but later rescinded the decision to allow for further scrutiny following concerns over some provisions.
Moving the motion for consideration of the latest bill, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, described the proposed amendment as a major step towards addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
Kalu said the amendment would bring policing closer to communities, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen coordination among security agencies.
He said the constitutional amendment would provide the legal foundation for state police, while subsequent legislation would address recruitment, training, operational standards, accountability and oversight.
Before consideration began, Abbas announced that 311 lawmakers had indicated support for the bill, comprising 211 members of the All Progressives Congress, 65 opposition lawmakers and 35 members participating virtually.
However, tension erupted when Minority Leader Fred Agbedi and other opposition lawmakers attempted to raise points of order. Abbas did not recognise their objections and proceeded with the consideration.
After the first three clauses were read, the Speaker announced that the remaining provisions had been adopted.
The action triggered protests from opposition lawmakers, who argued that the outstanding clauses had not been separately read, debated or voted on.
The lawmakers subsequently walked out of the chamber.
Opposition Faults Procedure
Speaking after the walkout, Minority Caucus spokesman Afam Ogene accused the House leadership of violating constitutional requirements and standing orders governing constitutional amendments.
Ogene argued that the number of lawmakers present should be determined through the official attendance register rather than figures announced from the chair.
He said members of the minority caucus had prepared amendments to several provisions but were denied the opportunity to present them because the clauses were adopted without debate.
We Are Not Against State Police
Agbedi clarified that opposition lawmakers were not opposed to the establishment of state police but were protesting the procedure adopted by the House leadership.
He argued that each clause of the constitutional amendment should have been separately considered and voted on, with the votes properly counted and recorded.
Agbedi also criticised the Speaker for ruling him out of order without allowing him to state his objection.
He questioned how the House could establish that the required constitutional threshold had been met after opposition lawmakers walked out.
The minority leader said constitutional amendments should not be determined through voice votes because such a process does not provide an official record of individual votes or establish whether the required majority was secured.
“We are not against state police. We are against the abuse of due process,” Agbedi said.
He warned that failure to follow constitutional procedures could undermine the credibility of the legislature and weaken democratic institutions.
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