Senate Leader accuses opposition of politicising state police debate

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has accused the opposition parties of politicising the debate on state police, arguing that their stance is driven by partisan interests rather than constructive engagement with national security concerns.

Mr Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, stated that critics of the proposal have shifted focus from Nigeria’s security challenges to political manoeuvring, at a time when they should be offering ideas to strengthen the nation’s security architecture.

He made these remarks in a statement from his media office on Sunday in response to public discourse surrounding the State Police Bill, which the Senate passed last Wednesday.

“Globally, security is a collective public good that benefits the citizenry across ethnic, political and religious divides. Political actors elsewhere always throw off their togas of partisanship and parochialism to support initiatives that will boost and reinforce national security,” Mr Bamidele said.

“At this challenging time, this should be the approach of opposition parties. Even when they disagree on certain points, they are obligated to offer credible, useful ideas that can make our nation better and stronger. Unfortunately, they have not passed this critical test of opposition democracy.”

Context of the debate

The State Police Bill was passed by the Senate on Wednesday, following a show of hands by more than two-thirds of the senators. The House of Representatives passed the bill on 11 June, before their two-week recess. The Senate is expected to transmit the harmonised bill to the House for concurrence before forwarding it to the state houses of assembly for approval.Proponents of the bill argue that state policing will bring security closer to the people, enhance intelligence gathering, and improve local responses to crime. However, opponents have warned that state governors might abuse the system for political gain.

Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is among the bill’s vocal critics. He argued that the timing is inappropriate and that lawmakers were not granted sufficient time to review the legislation before its passage. The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) also opposed the proposal, expressing a lack of confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration to oversee its implementation.

Similarly, Paul Ibe, media adviser to the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, alleged that the initiative was being driven by political considerations ahead of the 2027 general election.

Response to criticism

Mr Bamidele refuted claims that the bill was hurriedly passed, asserting that the proposal is a matter of urgent national importance.“Certainly, the proposal to create state police is one of urgent public importance, which cannot and should not take a back seat because of anyone’s political aspirations,” he noted.

He explained that the Police submitted a comprehensive memorandum in support of the proposal, which helped the National Assembly develop accountability and oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse.

The memorandum contained vital recommendations that helped the National Assembly develop accountability and oversight mechanisms to prevent some political actors from abusing state police. The resolve of the Police to support the Bill obviously highlights its strategic national significance to deal with insecurity at local and state levels,” he stated.

Mr Bamidele further defended the legislative process, noting that the bill underwent intense debate in both chambers.

“The State Police Bill was subjected to intense debates at the Senate and House of Representatives. Even though the APC is in the majority, members of opposition parties—PDP, ADC, NDC, and Labour Party—exercised their discretion in favour of the Bill, primarily in the national interest rather than on a parochial basis. In the Senate, for instance, 84 out of 109 members voted clause by clause in support of the Bill. This accounted for 77.06% approval at the Senate alone,” he concluded.