State Police: 30 States Approve Constitution Amendment, Six Yet to Respond – Senate Leader

By Haruna Salami

The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed at plenary on Wednesday that 30 State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment for the establishment of State Police Services, leaving only six states yet to submit their resolutions to the National Assembly.

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, made this known while reading out the names of the 30 states that have approved the bill, to clarify the level of support it has received from state legislatures across the country.

He explained that the Office of the Clerk to the National Assembly had received resolutions from the 30 State Houses of Assembly on the proposed alteration of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters.

The Senate Leader clarified that the constitutional amendment process involves three distinct stages: passage, approval and presidential assent. He said the National Assembly had fulfilled its responsibility by passing the bill, while approval was required from at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before it could be transmitted for presidential assent.

According to him, the constitutional provision is designed to ensure that amendments to the nation’s supreme law receive the support of critical stakeholders at all levels of government.

Bamidele listed the 30 states that have approved the proposed amendment as Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

He said the required two-thirds majority translates to 24 states, adding that the 30 approvals already received indicate substantial support for the proposed establishment of State Police among elected representatives in the states.

The Senate Leader expressed optimism that the remaining six states would submit their resolutions to the National Assembly before the November 15 deadline, describing the development as significant for Nigeria’s democracy and the country’s security governance.

He further stated that the National Assembly had formally communicated the constitutional amendment bill to the 36 State Houses of Assembly through a letter signed by the Clerk to the National Assembly on October 15, 2026.

The letter gave the state legislatures 30 days, ending November 15, to deliberate on the proposed amendment and communicate their decisions.

Bamidele urged the remaining six states not to be left out of what he described as an important constitutional development, expressing confidence that they would complete the approval process within the stipulated period.

He, however, warned that any State House of Assembly that failed to respond before the deadline could face consequences, although he did not specify the nature of such consequences.