28 States Endorse State Police Bill as NASS Prepares to Transmit Amendment to Tinubu
By Frontline Reporters
The National Assembly has confirmed that 28 State Houses of Assembly have approved the proposed constitutional amendment to establish state police, paving the way for the bill to be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement signed by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, who said the approvals secured exceeded the constitutionally prescribed threshold of two-thirds of the 36 state legislatures.
According to the statement, the bill, formally titled the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, was forwarded to all 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval, with a 30-day deadline for communicating their decisions to the National Assembly.
Although the deadline expired on October 15, the Clerk’s office continued to receive submissions from state legislatures. Following the receipt and verification of the reports, 28 states were confirmed to have endorsed the proposed amendment, exceeding the minimum requirement of 24 states under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution.
The National Assembly also clarified that Section 9 does not expressly require a Third Reading for a Constitution Alteration Bill, unlike the procedure applicable to ordinary legislation. It added that the necessary administrative processes were underway to transmit the approved bill to President Tinubu for assent in accordance with the Acts Authentication Act, CAP A2, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The National Assembly described the development as a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture and deepen its federal system, while commending the State Houses of Assembly for their cooperation in the constitutional amendment process.
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