311 Reps pass state police bill, as minority caucus walks out

By Gift Chapi Odekina, ABUJA The House of Representatives has passed the executive bill seeking to establish state police services, with 311 lawmakers voting in favour of the proposed constitutional amendment. Read Also: Reps minority caucus walks out of plenary over Tinubu’s state police bill Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, disclosed that 35 lawmakers participated in the voting virtually, while 276 members were physically present in the chamber. The passage followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, during plenary. The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to Provide for the Establishment of State Police Services and for Related Matters (HB. 2797),” seeks to amend the Constitution to create a legal framework for the establishment of state police services. Vanguard reports that President Bola Tinubu recently transmitted the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, to the House of Representatives. Walkout Meanwhile, the Minority Caucus in the House staged a walkout from the chamber in protest over the passage, accusing the House leadership of violating constitutional provisions and the chamber’s Standing Orders. Addressing journalists shortly after leaving the chamber, the Minority Leader, Fredrick Agbedi, alongside other caucus leaders, insisted that their action was not borne out of opposition to state police but against what they described as the abuse of parliamentary procedures. Speaking on behalf of the caucus, Agbedi said the Speaker, while presiding as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, ignored clear constitutional requirements governing the alteration of the Constitution. He argued that attendance in the House is determined through members’ registers signed on each legislative day and not by names read out during proceedings. “The Constitution is the grand norm. It is the rule book from which even our Standing Orders derive their powers. For the Speaker, acting as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, to disregard the clear provisions of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, is a great affront to the workings of the House of Representatives,” he said. The caucus maintained that constitutional amendment bills must be considered clause by clause, with each provision supported by a two-thirds majority of members as stipulated in both the Constitution and the House Standing Orders. Quoting Order 13 Rule 15(a) of the House Rules, the lawmakers said, “In the clause-by-clause consideration in the Committee of the Whole, a clause shall be deemed passed only if supported by a positive vote of two-thirds majority of members of the House.” They faulted the decision to merely read the long title of the bill and determine its passage through a voice vote without detailed consideration of each clause. Tinubu’s letter In his letter conveying the bill, Tinubu said the proposal builds on previous efforts by the House and introduces safeguards to ensure the creation of a dual policing structure capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges. The President said the proposed amendment was a key part of his administration’s plan to reform the country’s security architecture and improve protection for citizens. He expressed confidence that the House would give the bill speedy consideration. Following the receipt of the executive bill, the House rescinded its earlier resolution of June 11, 2026, on the establishment of state police services and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee constituted on July 9, 2026. The bill will proceed through the constitutional amendment process before becoming law. Vanguard News The post 311 Reps pass state police bill, as minority caucus walks out appeared first on Vanguard News.

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