House passes state police bill amid minority walkout over voting procedure
The House of Representatives passed the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026 this week, establishing the constitutional framework for state police services across Nigeria. The bill received support from 311 lawmakers—211 APC members physically present, 65 from other parties, and 35 participating virtually—exceeding the 240-vote two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.
This passage followed a walkout by the Minority Caucus led by Minority Leader Fred Agbedi (PDP, Bayelsa), who protested that the House violated Standing Orders by voting on the bill as a whole rather than clause by clause. Agbedi clarified the caucus supports state police in principle but objected to the procedure, citing Order 13.15(a) which requires individual clause votes during Committee of the Whole consideration. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen confirmed 35 virtual supporters and noted the bill contains 26 clauses needing follow-up legislation for operational details.
Meanwhile, the House stepped down a bill to prohibit unbranded and unfortified edible oil after sponsors acknowledged concerns about impacting rural producers and overlapping with NAFDAC's mandate. Lawmakers also mandated investigations into xenophobic attacks in South Africa affecting Nigerians and continued probing the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council over inactive foreign currency accounts opened in July 2025 that lacked required documentation for activation.
With the state police framework now in place, will you monitor how upcoming implementation legislation addresses regional security concerns, or do you believe the procedural controversy undermines the bill's legitimacy despite its substantive goal?