Nigeria’s long-standing push toward Decentralised law enforcement has reached its final legislative stretch, with the Red Chamber issuing a firm deadline of November 15, 2026, to six outstanding State Houses of Assembly to declare their position on the proposed State Police Constitution Alteration Bill.
​The directive followed an official update delivered during Wednesday morning’s plenary session by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, supported by formal notifications from Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogundele.
Bamidele revealed that 30 of Nigeria’s 36 state legislatures, including recent ratifications from states like Adamawa, have officially passed and concurred with the landmark bill.
​Under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a constitutional alteration requires concurrence from at least two-thirds (24) of the state assemblies. With 30 states endorsing the bill, the constitutional requirement for sub-national policing has been comfortably cleared.
​However, formal transmissions remain outstanding from six state assemblies: Kano, Oyo, Cross River, Abia, Niger, and Benue.
​Presiding over the deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed for a brief grace period to allow the six holdout legislatures to finalize their votes, while establishing a strict boundary regarding non-compliance.
​”Any State House of Assembly that fails to communicate its resolution to the National Assembly by November 15 will be formally recorded as having withheld its consent,” Akpabio declared, a position unanimously endorsed by the floor.
​Once the deadline lapses, the National Assembly will immediately finalize administrative compilation and transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for final presidential assent, clearing the path to establish state-controlled police forces across endorsing territories.
