The Senate has pledged to complete the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the creation of state police before the end of 2026. The commitment follows separate requests by President Bola Tinubu to the leadership of the 10th Senate and the House of Representatives to tinker with the constitution and establish a legal framework for a decentralised police force. Tinubu made the appeals earlier in the week, urging lawmakers to fast-track the process.
Speaking to Punch, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu said the upper legislative chamber would resume work on the constitution review as soon as plenary reconvenes next week.
Adaramodu assured Nigerians that the amendment would be concluded ahead of the next general election cycle. “We are going to commence the process of reviewing the constitution for the establishment of state police immediately we resume next week,” he said.
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He added, “We want to assure Nigerians that before the general election, we would have amended the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.”
The lawmaker further pledged swift legislative action on the matter. “We are going to expeditiously treat the matter. We are giving our assurance that before the end of this year, the amendment will be done so that we can have the state police,” he said.
According to him, the process would be wrapped up before political campaigns begin. “Before electioneering starts, we would have done and dusted it, then pass it on to Mr President for his assent,” Adaramodu stated.
He explained that substantial groundwork had already been completed prior to the chamber’s shift in focus to electoral reforms. Lawmakers, he noted, briefly paused the constitution review to prioritise the electoral amendment bill, which has now been signed into law.
Adaramodu said time constraints also required the Senate to consider the 2026 Appropriation Bill, leading to a short suspension of plenary. With those matters addressed, he said, the chamber is set to immediately resume deliberations on the constitution review.
Describing state police as widely supported, Adaramodu said, “State police is a popular demand. The President has signed into it, the state governors too have signed into it, and the National Assembly is in love with it.”
