The Senate has defended the recently passed State Police Bill, insisting that national security concerns should take priority over political disagreements.
Last Wednesday, the upper legislative chamber approved the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish state police across the country.
The development followed criticism from some political figures and opposition leaders.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), had called for the implementation of state police to be delayed until after the 2027 general election. He warned that politicians could misuse the structure if proper safeguards are not in place.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), also criticised the proposal during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme. He said the current administration lacked the credibility to implement such a system and described the moment as “this is the worst possible time” to introduce state police.
Reacting to the criticism, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the legislation emerged from national necessity rather than political calculations.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Bamidele described the bill as “purely a child of necessity and not of political expediency as well as a product of national consensus and not of cynicism”.
The senator representing Ekiti Central explained that the proposal was not a recent initiative. According to him, the idea formed part of submissions presented before the Senate ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution.
He said lawmakers consulted widely because of the sensitive nature of the issue.
Bamidele stated that the National Assembly engaged the executive arm of government, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, among other stakeholders.
He added that public hearings also took place across the six geopolitical zones in July 2025.
“At each level of our consultation, nearly all stakeholders embraced the State Police Bill in the light of stark realities we are facing today,” he said.
According to him, recommendations from the Nigeria Police helped lawmakers create oversight and accountability measures aimed at preventing abuse of state police by politicians.
“The resolve of the Nigeria Police to support the Bill obviously highlights its strategic national significance to deal with insecurity at local and state levels,” he said.
Bamidele also said the bill enjoyed support across party lines in both chambers of the National Assembly.
“Even though the APC is the majority, there are members of opposition parties – PDP, ADC, NDC and Labour Party – that exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, mainly in the national interest and not on parochial basis,” he said.
“In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06% approval at the Senate alone.”
The Senate leader stressed that security issues should not be treated as partisan matters.
“Political actors elsewhere always throw off their togas of partisanship and parochialism to support initiatives that will boost and reinforce national security,” he said.
He urged opposition parties to offer constructive ideas that could improve peace and stability across the country instead of focusing solely on criticism.
“Even when they disagree on some grounds, they are under obligations to provide credible and useful ideas that can make our Nation better and greater. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy,” he added.
