The Senate has set November 15 as the deadline for the six state Houses of Assembly yet to approve the proposed creation of state police to communicate their positions, warning that any assembly that fails to respond by then would be regarded as having withheld its approval.
The decision followed an update presented by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during Wednesday’s plenary, which revealed that 30 of the 36 state assemblies had endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment.
While the 30 approvals have surpassed the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of 24 state assemblies, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged that more time be given to allow the remaining six assemblies to state their positions.
Akpabio warned that any of the outstanding assemblies that failed to respond by November 15 would be deemed to have rejected the proposal.
“They should be given more time. Let’s give them till November 15 to respond,” he said.
The Senate unanimously supported his appeal.
Earlier, Bamidele read out the names of the 30 state assemblies that had approved the bill.
They are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.
Bamidele said the number of approvals had surpassed the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, representing 24 states.
The Senate Leader explained that the amendment process involved three stages: passage by the national assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of state assemblies, and presidential assent.
He said, “Passage of the bill was meant to be done by the national assembly, which was done, and approval is meant to be done by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly in the country, and assent is to be given by the president to complete this process.”
The proposed amendment seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police services, a major security reform designed to decentralise policing and allow state governments to establish and manage their own police structures.
The proposal is expected to address longstanding concerns about the limitations of the centralised policing system, particularly in tackling insecurity across the country’s diverse communities.
The constitutional amendment process requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state assemblies before the bill can be presented to the President for assent.
With 30 assemblies already on board, the Senate’s decision to extend the deadline is intended to allow the remaining six states to complete the process before the amendment is transmitted for presidential consideration.