Presidency has assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Constitution will not allow governors, including the ones in the All Progressives Congress (APC), to abuse state policing recently passed by the National Assembly.

“There is a law in this country. This is a federation. You won’t say because you’re APC governor, you’ll violate the law of our country willy-nilly. It’s not going to happen. These assumptions that APC controls most state so they can do anything can’t happen. There is a law and the law will be interpreted,” presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare, in an interview aired on Seun Okinbaloye’s podcast on Saturday, allayed fears around the assumptions that the proposed legislation would be misused by APC governors. 

The assurances followed concerns raised by Nigerians, especially the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who demanded the implementation of the state police be delayed till after the 2027 general elections over fears that it could be used by the ruling APC to rig the elections.

Acknowledging the overwhelming security gaps in the country, Mr Dare commended President Bola Tinubu for advocating and sending the state policing to the legislature.

He added, “The Security situation right now shows a lot of gaps. One of the best options right now to address these gaps is state police. And I think the government has done the right thing. Apart from openly advocating for it, he went the right by sending it to the National Assembly. It will go through all the state assemblies where you need at least 24 to make it pass.

Mr Dare highlighted the need for devolution of power in terms of security, urging state assemblies and Nigerians to allow the bill become a reality.

“No policy is 100 percent proven. Devolution of power in terms of our security is the best thing. We should let this play out because state police didn’t just come up as an idea under President Bola Tinubu, it has been interrogated under several presidents before him,” he noted.

Amid the debate generated by the bill, the upper chamber of the National Assembly approved measures aimed at preventing governors from abusing the proposed state police structure for partisan, ethnic, religious, sectional, or personal interests.

Leading the debate during plenary last Wednesday, Opeyemi Bamidele, lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the bill seeks “to balance local policing autonomy with national cohesion, accountability with operational effectiveness and federal oversight with state responsibility”.

Mr Bamidele added, “The bill provides robust safeguards against abuse, preserves federal authority where necessary, protects constitutional rights and creates a modern policing framework capable of addressing contemporary security challenges.”