Nigeria Senate passes police amendment, Obi calls delay

A landmark constitutional amendment to establish state police in Nigeria has passed the National Assembly, prompting a leading opposition figure to call for its implementation to be delayed until after the 2027 general election over fears of political manipulation.

The Senate passed the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill on Wednesday, June 24, following an emergency session. The bill, transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for a dual policing structure, allowing federal and state police forces to operate alongside each other. Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the vote as potentially the most consequential in Nigeria's democratic history, aiming to decentralize a policing system that has remained centralized since independence in 1960.

On Friday, June 26, presidential candidate Peter Obi urged the federal government to postpone the rollout of the new system. While acknowledging that decentralized policing is a necessary reform for a country of Nigeria's size and diversity, Obi criticized the legislative process as rushed and lacking transparency. He stated that no public hearing was held on the...