Only State Police Bill Sent To State Assemblies – NASS

The National Assembly has clarified that only the Constitution Alteration Bill seeking to establish State Police Services has been transmitted to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration and approval so far.

The clarification followed recent reports and public perceptions suggesting that all the Constitution Alteration Bills currently before the National Assembly had been forwarded to the state legislatures.

In a statement issued to journalists yesterday in Abuja by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, the National Assembly recalled that it had, on 16 September 2026, announced the transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, 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.”

The National Assembly stressed that only the State Police Services Bill had been transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly so far.

“For the avoidance of doubt, it is only this particular Constitution Alteration Bill that has so far been transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly,” the statement said.

It added that it would be incorrect to suggest or create the impression that all the Constitution Alteration Bills currently before the National Assembly had been transmitted to the states.

According to the statement, the decision to accord priority to the State Police Services Bill was informed by widespread public demands and concerns over security and policing in the country.

The National Assembly said the proposed constitutional framework was intended to provide an appropriate legal and constitutional basis for addressing those concerns.

It further explained that the other Constitution Alteration Bills before the National Assembly would be transmitted to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states after they had been passed in identical form by both chambers of the National Assembly, in accordance with the constitutional amendment process.

The legislature reaffirmed its commitment to conducting the ongoing Constitution Alteration process transparently, responsibly and in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The National Assembly also urged members of the public and the media to rely on its official communications for accurate information on the status and transmission of the various Constitution Alteration Bills.

Under Nigeria’s constitutional amendment procedure, a proposed alteration to the Constitution does not become law merely because it has been passed by the National Assembly.

Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution provides for a special legislative procedure for constitutional amendments. In general, an alteration requires the support of at least two-thirds of the members of each chamber of the National Assembly. Where the proposed alteration affects certain specified provisions, it must also secure the approval of at least four-fifths of the members of each chamber.

The process also requires approval by the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states of the federation.

This means that, after the National Assembly has completed its consideration of a constitutional alteration and both chambers have passed the proposal in the required form, the bill proceeds to the state legislatures for consideration.

The state assemblies, therefore, play a constitutionally prescribed role in the amendment process. Their consideration is separate from the National Assembly’s passage of the proposal and forms part of the broader process required before a constitutional alteration can be concluded.

The State Police Services Bill is part of the broader debate over policing and internal security in Nigeria. Proponents of state police have argued that policing arrangements closer to local communities could complement the existing federal policing structure, while debates around the proposal have also focused on constitutional safeguards, accountability and the potential relationship between state police authorities and the federal government.

The National Assembly’s latest clarification means that, at this stage, the State Police Services Bill is the specific Constitution Alteration Bill that has been forwarded to the 36 State Houses of Assembly, while the other alteration bills remain subject to further consideration and passage by the National Assembly before transmission to the states.