Rivers Assembly joins Osun, Edo in backing State Police bill

Rivers lawmakers have voted unanimously to approve the proposed alteration of the 1999 Constitution as forwarded by the National Assembly to provide a constitutional pathway for the establishment of state police in Nigeria.

They joined their counterparts in Osun and Edo in backing the bill, which the National Assembly sent to the State Houses of Assemblies for consideration after it was formally transmitted to the Clerk to the National Assembly on September 16, 2026.

Going by Section 9 of the Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly must approve the amendment before it can be sent to the President for assent.

With Rivers, Edo and Osun in, the bill needs 21 more States to scale through.

The proposed amendment seeks to create a decentralised policing system with the Presidential Working Group saying it would bring policing closer to Nigerians by providing safeguards for its operation.

The National Assembly has given the state legislatures a 30-day administrative time frame to consider the bill.

The item dominated Monday’s plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.

Before putting it to a vote, Amaewhule drew the attention of his colleagues to Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which empowers the National Assembly to alter the Constitution.

He explained that under Section 9(2), such an alteration must be supported by two-thirds of the members of each House of the National Assembly and approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states.

He stated: “As required by the Constitution, our responsibility will be to vote whether or not we approve of the alteration of the Constitution so proposed by the National Assembly.

“No debate is allowed; we will just vote whether we accept or we do not accept.”

The Speaker then presented the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill, 2022, explaining that it seeks to create a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services, subject to the Constitution and to an Act of the National Assembly prescribing national minimum policing standards.

According to him, the bill preserves the Federal Police Service as the default police service in any state until a state police service is lawfully established and certified operational, and retains the continuing federal policing role in every state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Following the reading, a vote was taken, with all the lawmakers present indicating support by raising their hands.

Announcing the outcome, the Speaker said the Clerk had counted the votes: 25 members were in favour, none against, and there was no abstention.

“By this vote, the 10th Assembly of Rivers State is fully in support of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Fifth Alteration) Bill, 2022,” the Speaker declared.