…allege constitutional breaches in voting process as 311 lawmakers back landmark amendment
…reaffirm their support for state policing in principle
By Gloria Ikibah 
The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives on Thursday staged a dramatic walkout during plenary in protest against the passage of President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Bill on the establishment of State Police, accusing the House leadership of violating constitutional provisions and the chamber’s Standing Orders.
Despite the protest, the House approved the Constitution Alteration Bill after 311 lawmakers voted in its favour, marking a major milestone in the ongoing effort to decentralise policing and strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
The Executive Bill, transmitted to the National Assembly by President Tinubu last week, seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to create a constitutional framework for the establishment of State Police Services. The proposal followed months of debate over the need for a multi-layered policing system to tackle rising insecurity across the country. It also replaced an earlier version of the bill previously passed by the House after lawmakers rescinded their earlier resolution to accommodate the President’s proposal.
Speaking to journalists shortly after leading members of the caucus out of the chamber, Minority Leader, Rep. Fredrick Agbedi, said their action was not a rejection of state police but a protest against what they described as the disregard for due legislative process.
He argued that the Speaker, while presiding as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, ignored the constitutional requirements governing amendments to the Constitution.
He said: “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.”
Agbedi maintained that attendance in the House is determined through members’ registers signed on each legislative day and not by names read during proceedings.
The Minority Caucus also insisted that every clause of a constitutional amendment bill must be considered individually and supported by a two-thirds majority, as required by both the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.
Quoting Order 13 Rule 15(a) of the House Rules, the lawmakers stated:
“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.”
The caucus faulted the decision to pass the bill through a voice vote after only the long title was read, without detailed consideration of each clause.
Reaffirming their support for state policing in principle, the lawmakers stressed that procedure should never be sacrificed.
“We are not against the creation of state police. Whatever will help address insecurity in Nigeria, we are prepared to support. But every action taken by Parliament must follow due process”, he added.
According to the minority leader, they had earlier held discussions with Speaker Abbas Tajudeen on aspects of the bill that required amendments, and believed there was an understanding that those concerns would be addressed.
The lawmaker warned that failure to comply with constitutional procedures could undermine the credibility of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“Mr. Speaker even identified areas where we could intervene, but when he sat as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, he simply read the long title and put the question through a voice vote. That is absurd.
“When the rules and regulations are not complied with, it affects the credibility of the institution as well as the credibility of Nigeria and our democracy”, Agbedi stated.
The caucus further alleged that the Speaker denied them the opportunity to raise constitutional points of order before the vote was taken.
“As Minority Leader, I raised a point of order, but before hearing me, the Chairman ruled me out of order. Which order was he ruling me out of? He ought to have heard my point of order first before deciding whether it complied with our rules or the Constitution”, he said.
The caucus also questioned how the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority could have been met after opposition lawmakers had left the chamber.
“If we walked out of the House, where are our votes? Can you count our votes? Can anybody decide a constitutional amendment with a voice vote? It is not possible”, he asked.
Describing the development as a dangerous precedent, the Minority Caucus accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of weakening democratic institutions.
“We stand on the side of Nigerians. We stand on the side of the rule of law. We stand on the side of what will make Nigeria a great nation and not what will diminish the integrity, progress and development of this country”, the minority leader noted.
The lawmakers urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, insisting that while they support the establishment of state police, any constitutional amendment must strictly comply with the provisions of the Constitution and the House Standing Orders.
Meanwhile, the House proceeded with the consideration and adoption of the report of its Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
At the conclusion of the exercise, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen announced that 311 members voted in support of the bill, comprising 276 lawmakers physically present in the chamber and 35 who participated virtually.
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),” now moves to the next stage of the constitutional amendment process.
In forwarding the legislation to the House, President Tinubu said the proposal builds on previous work by lawmakers while introducing additional safeguards to ensure the effective implementation of a dual policing system.
“This bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians.
“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganize Nigeria’s security architecture to better protect our citizens, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will act quickly to consider and pass this Bill.
“While I look forward to expeditious consideration of this submission by the House of Representatives, please accept, Rt. Honourable Speaker, the assurances of my consideration and best regards”, he said.
Following receipt of the Executive Bill, the House rescinded its earlier resolution of 11 June 2026 on the establishment of State Police Services and dissolved the 12-member Conference Committee constituted on 9 July 2026, paving the way for consideration of the President’s revised proposal.
