The House of Representatives on Thursday took a major step toward constitutional security reform as lawmakers passed the long-debated State Police Bill during a tense plenary session marked by objections, procedural disputes and eventual overwhelming support.
The bill sailed through after a decisive manual voting process, with 289 lawmakers voting in favour while four members opposed the proposal.
A total of 290 lawmakers were present when the vote was conducted, underscoring broad legislative participation in one of the most closely watched reform initiatives before the National Assembly.
Manual Voting Adopted After System Failure
The House had earlier resolved to abandon electronic voting for the exercise after the Speaker announced that the digital system was faulty.
As a result, lawmakers proceeded with a manual vote based on attendance, a decision that shaped the final outcome of the legislative process.
The State Police Bill, which seeks to establish a decentralised policing structure across Nigeria’s federating units, has remained a controversial but central proposal in ongoing discussions around national security reform.
Objection Over Late Distribution Of Bill
Tension briefly rose on the floor when Kaduna lawmaker, Bashir Zubairu, raised a point of order questioning the timing of the bill’s distribution to members.
Zubairu argued that lawmakers only received the document earlier in the day, leaving insufficient time for proper review before voting.
“Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it,” he said.
However, the Speaker ruled him out of order, allowing proceedings to continue.
Plenary Continues Despite Interruptions
As the Speaker proceeded to guide members through the clauses of the bill, repeated objections and shouts of “point of order” were heard from different sections of the chamber.
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Despite the interruptions, the presiding officer maintained order and continued with the legislative process leading up to the vote.
Strong Support For State Policing Reform
The passage of the bill reflects growing legislative momentum toward restructuring Nigeria’s policing system, amid rising insecurity concerns across several states.
While supporters of the bill argue that state policing would improve local response to crime and enhance security efficiency, critics have consistently raised concerns about implementation, funding and potential abuse by state authorities.
The bill now moves closer to further legislative consideration, as debates over security reforms continue to dominate national discourse within and outside the National Assembly.