Why State police should begin after 2027 election ― Peter Obi

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for the implementation of the newly passed State Police Bill to be postponed until after the 2027 general election, warning that the initiative could be abused for political purposes if introduced under the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Obi said this on Friday, June 26, 2026, while reacting to the passing of the state police bill by the Senate.

The former two-term governor of Anambra State, in a statement shared on X, described the National Assembly’s passage of the State Police Bill as a significant legislative milestone that addresses a long-standing demand for decentralised policing in Nigeria.

However, he argued that the process leading to the bill’s passage was flawed and lacked the transparency required for such a critical constitutional reform.

Obi said the absence of public hearings and what he described as the rushed passage of the legislation have raised concerns about its underlying political motives.

Obi said Nigeria’s current centralised policing structure is ill-suited to the country’s size and diversity, adding that policing should be more community-driven and visible at the local government level.

He, however, warned that without strong safeguards, state police forces could become tools in the hands of state governors to intimidate political opponents, disrupt opposition activities and influence elections.

To prevent such abuses, Obi called for the establishment of independent state-level Police Service Commissions insulated from executive control to oversee the operations of state police forces and ensure accountability.

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He expressed doubts that the current administration could resist using state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy, insisting that implementation should be deferred until after the polls.

The NDC presidential candidate stated: “For state policing to evolve from a risky political gamble into a genuine security solution, the law must not only permit states to establish police forces but also clearly provide for independent oversight bodies, such as a state-level Police Service Commission that is entirely free from executive influence, to ensure that policing serves the public interest rather than the interests of the ruling elite.

“Going by what Nigerians have seen so far, there is no guarantee that this administration can resist the temptation to take advantage of state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy.

“In view of that possibility and the danger it poses to the polity, it is necessary to defer its implementation until after the general election.”