The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the passage of the proposed state police bill by the Senate, describing the process as rushed and politically motivated rather than a carefully planned response to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday, June 26, the party stressed that although it has consistently supported the establishment of state police, it does not support what it called the Tinubu administration’s handling of the reform.
The ADC argued that decentralised policing has long enjoyed national support and should not be presented as a new initiative or an immediate solution to insecurity.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) supports state police. We have always believed that Nigeria’s policing architecture must evolve to reflect the realities of our federal system.
“But support for state police cannot be confused with support for the Tinubu administration’s handling of this important national reform,” Abdullahi said.
According to the party, the proposed reform appears to be a hurried response to the country’s deteriorating security situation rather than a carefully designed institutional change.
“What we are witnessing is a hurried response to a worsening security crisis, not the careful institutional planning required to build a functional, accountable, and effective policing system.
“State police is too important, and the security of Nigerians too urgent, to be reduced to a quick legislative fix or rushed through the National Assembly without the broad consultation such a far-reaching reform demands,” Abdullahi stated.
The ADC also faulted the Federal Government for presenting the proposal as though it originated with the current administration.
“It is equally important to state that there is nothing novel about the idea of state police. Decentralised policing has been part of Nigeria’s constitutional and political conversation for decades and today enjoys broad national support.
“What is new is the attempt by the Tinubu administration to package this long-standing national consensus as a bold new initiative and, worse, to present it as a silver bullet for the country’s current security crisis.It is neither.
“State police is a structural reform whose benefits will only be realised over time. It cannot, by itself, solve today’s emergency,” Abdullahi said.
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The opposition party questioned why the administration only moved to advance the constitutional amendment late in its tenure if it genuinely believed in decentralised policing.
“After all, if President Tinubu were genuinely committed to state police, why did it take his administration almost until the end of its tenure to begin rushing through a constitutional amendment?” Abdullahi asked.
The ADC maintained that passing legislation alone would not improve security, warning that building an effective state police system would require recruitment, training, funding, oversight and operational structures that could not be established overnight.
The party also expressed concern over the absence of safeguards against political abuse.
“What safeguards will prevent state police from becoming instruments of political intimidation? What guarantees exist for genuinely independent state legislatures and judiciaries capable of exercising meaningful oversight? Who will regulate recruitment, deployment, discipline and funding?
”Where are the accompanying reforms to prosecution, correctional services, forensic capacity and intelligence coordination? These are not secondary questions.
“They are the difference between building a professional police service and creating another institution that may be vulnerable to abuse,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC further warned against treating state police as a replacement for reforming the Nigeria Police Force, insisting that strengthening existing federal security institutions remains essential.
It said its manifesto supports a multi-layered policing system comprising federal, state and community policing backed by independent oversight, clear jurisdictions and broader reforms in the justice sector.
The statement followed the Senate’s passage of the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, on Wednesday after more than two-thirds of senators voted in favour of the proposal.
The bill seeks to establish state police while retaining the Nigeria Police Force’s responsibility for national security, terrorism, interstate crimes and border protection.
Before it becomes law, it must secure approval from the House of Representatives, at least 24 state Houses of Assembly and receive presidential assent.