State Police: Constitution not amended by convenience — ADC tells Reps

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By Luminous Jannamike

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ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Tuesday accused the House of Representatives of undermining the Constitution in its handling of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, insisting that ‘the Constitution is not amended by convenience’ and calling for the legislation to be recommitted to a fresh, transparent and inclusive legislative process.

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While backing the creation of state police as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, the opposition party argued that no constitutional reform, however well-intentioned, should come at the expense of the constitutional process itself.

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In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC questioned reports that the constitutional threshold for passing the amendment was attained by recognising votes transmitted through WhatsApp by lawmakers who were absent from the chamber and by counting members who had signed the attendance register but were no longer present when the question was put.

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“The Constitution is not amended by convenience. It is amended through strict procedures that leave no room for improvisation,” the party declared.

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The ADC maintained that, regardless of the noble intentions behind the proposed amendment, constitutional procedures must not be circumvented.

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It also expressed concern over reports that meaningful clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill was curtailed and that constitutional objections raised during deliberations were not given proper consideration.

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According to the party, constitutional alteration demands openness, robust debate and strict fidelity to both the Constitution and the Standing Orders of the House, adding that those standards did not appear to have been observed in the handling of the State Police Bill.

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The ADC further argued that the current version of the legislation had not undergone the level of public scrutiny expected of a constitutional reform that would fundamentally reshape Nigeria’s security architecture.

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“While the idea of State Police has featured in previous constitutional review exercises, this latest effort contains significant policy reform that Nigerians have not had the opportunity to interrogate through a dedicated public process,” Abdullahi said.

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The party said the objective should not merely be to establish another policing institution but to create a framework capable of addressing the insecurity that has devastated communities across the country.

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“It is one thing to pass a Bill for political expediency. It is another thing to ensure that it actually solves the problem it was intended to solve. The objective is not merely to establish another police institution. It is to reduce the insecurity that has devastated communities across the country,” the ADC added.

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Warning against what it described as legislative manipulation, the party insisted that the proposed amendment deserved careful scrutiny before becoming part of the Constitution.

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“Unless this Bill is subjected to rigorous public examination, we risk enacting legislation that has survived only the echo chamber of the ruling party rather than the searching questions of the Nigerian people,” the ADC warned.

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The party recalled that Nigeria had witnessed several major laws and policies that later required amendments, reversals or policy somersaults because they were not sufficiently interrogated before passage, warning against repeating the same mistake with a constitutional amendment of such significance.

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The ADC consequently urged the House of Representatives to recommit the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill to a constitutional, transparent and inclusive legislative process.

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“Nigeria deserves a State Police framework that commands public confidence because it has been properly debated, strengthened to guarantee the required outcome and protect against abuse before becoming part of our Constitution,” the party stated.

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