Peter Obi suspects foul play in the passage of the state police bill by the Nat’l Assembly

Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the speed at which the National Assembly passed the National Police Bill.

He said the swift action taken by lawmakers on the bill failed to follow proper legislative procedures and had raised concerns about the political motives behind the bill.

Obi also requested that the implementation of the state police be postponed until after the 2027 elections.

Commenting on the development in a post on his X account, Obi stressed the need to address the “disorganization of the legislative process”.

He said, “The recent passage of the National Police Bill by the National Assembly marks an important legislative milestone in meeting the long-standing demands of the Nigerian people. Over the years, many of us, along with security experts and regional stakeholders, have consistently argued that a highly centralized police structure is fundamentally unsuitable for a country as vast, diverse and complex as Nigeria. However, the legislative and constitutional implementation appears to be unstable and raises legitimate concerns.

“The process must involve greater community participation. The police must be more visible at local government and community levels. The mechanism for passing the law appears to be very disorganized, with no public hearings on such a sensitive issue. It is true that the rush to enact the law without proper legislative procedures raised suspicions among many observers about the political motives behind the law.

“The greatest concerns do not arise from logistical problems; they stem from history. There are widespread and well-founded fears that state police forces could become instruments in the hands of governors. The suspicion is that state-controlled police forces could be armed to suppress political opponents, disrupt opposition demonstrations, and manipulate elections.

“For state policing to evolve from a risky political gamble into a genuine security solution, the law must not only allow states to create police forces but also clearly provide for an independent oversight body—such as a state-level Police Service Commission that is completely free from executive influence—to ensure that policing prioritizes the interests of the public and not the interests of the ruling elite.

“Based on what Nigerians have seen so far, there is no guarantee that this administration can resist the temptation to leverage state policies to influence the 2027 general elections through proxies.

“Given this possibility and the danger it poses to governance, its implementation needs to be postponed until after the general elections. A New Nigeria Is Possible.” he added.