State Police Should Begin After 2027 Elections – Obi

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) — The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for the implementation of state police to be postponed until after the 2027 general election, warning that the new policing structure could be abused for political purposes if introduced without adequate safeguards.

Obi made the call in a statement on Friday while reacting to the National Assembly’s passage of the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish state police across Nigeria.

The former Anambra State governor described the bill as a significant step toward addressing the country’s worsening security challenges, saying many Nigerians have long advocated the decentralisation of policing.

“The recent passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly marks a significant legislative milestone in addressing a long-standing demand of the Nigerian people,” Obi said.

“For years, many of us, alongside security experts and regional stakeholders, have consistently argued that a highly centralised policing structure is fundamentally unsuitable for a country as vast, diverse and complex as Nigeria.”

Despite welcoming the proposal, Obi criticised the process leading to the passage of the bill, saying a constitutional amendment of such importance required broader public consultation and stakeholder engagement.

According to him, the legislation should have gone through public hearings to allow Nigerians to make meaningful contributions.

“The process should involve greater community participation. Policing should be more visible at the local government and community levels. The mechanism for passing the law appears highly disorganised, with no public hearing on such a sensitive issue,” he said.

He added that the speed with which the legislation was processed had raised concerns about the motives behind it.

“Indeed, the rush to enact the law without proper legislative procedures fuels suspicion among many observers about the political motives behind it,” Obi stated.

The former governor said his greatest concern was not the operational structure of state police but the possibility that state governors could use the security outfit to intimidate political opponents and influence elections.

“The greatest concern does not arise from logistical issues; it stems from history. There is a widespread, justifiable fear that state police forces could become instruments in the hands of governors,” he said.

“The suspicion is that a state-controlled police force could be weaponised to suppress political rivals, disrupt opposition rallies and manipulate elections.”

To prevent such abuse, Obi called for the establishment of independent oversight institutions that would insulate state police commands from political interference.

“For state policing to evolve from a risky political gamble into a genuine security solution, the law must not only permit states to establish police forces but also clearly provide for independent oversight bodies, such as a state-level Police Service Commission that is entirely free from executive influence,” he said.

Obi further argued that the implementation of state police should be delayed until after the 2027 general election to remove any perception that the new security structure could be used to influence the outcome of the polls.

“Going by what Nigerians have seen so far, there is no guarantee that this administration can resist the temptation to take advantage of state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy,” Obi said.

“In view of that possibility and the danger it poses to the polity, it is necessary to defer its implementation until after the general election   

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