Reps minority caucus walks out over State Police Bill, alleges constitutional violations

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives on Thursday staged a walkout during plenary in protest against the passage of the constitutional amendment bill seeking to establish State Police Services across Nigeria.

The opposition lawmakers insisted that their action was not a rejection of state police but a protest against what they described as violations of constitutional provisions and parliamentary procedures during the bill’s consideration.

Speaking with journalists after the walkout, Minority Leader, Fredrick Agbedi accused the House leadership of disregarding the provisions of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution while handling the amendment process.

Agbedi argued that constitutional amendment bills require clause-by-clause consideration and approval by a two-thirds majority of members, stressing that the procedure adopted for the state police bill failed to meet those requirements.

“The Constitution is the grund norm. It is the rule book from which even our Standing Orders derive their powers. Disregarding its clear provisions is an affront to the workings of the House,” he said.

The caucus also cited Order 13 Rule 15(a) of the House Rules, which stipulates that each clause under consideration in the Committee of the Whole must secure the support of at least two-thirds of House members before being passed.

According to the lawmakers, the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, only read the long title of the bill and subjected it to a voice vote without allowing detailed consideration of its individual clauses.

They further claimed that despite previous discussions with the Speaker on areas where amendments could be proposed, the opportunity was not provided during deliberations.

The Minority Caucus maintained that it supports the creation of state police as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s security challenges but insisted that due process must be strictly followed in any constitutional amendment.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives approved the bill with the support of 311 lawmakers.

Speaker Abbas disclosed that 276 members voted physically, while 35 others participated virtually.

The approval followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, chaired by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The proposed legislation, 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 (HB. 2797),” seeks to create state-controlled police formations as part of broader efforts to strengthen security and policing across the country.

Reps minority caucus walks out over State Police Bill, alleges constitutional violations