The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the House of Representatives over its handling of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, accusing lawmakers of failing to follow due constitutional process.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said although it supports the creation of state police to tackle insecurity, the Constitution must not be amended through what it described as procedural shortcuts.
“The Constitution is not amended by convenience. It is amended through strict procedures that leave no room for improvisation,” the ADC stated.
The party questioned reports that some lawmakers who were absent from the chamber had their votes counted through WhatsApp, while others who had only signed the attendance register were also reportedly counted during voting.
According to the ADC, constitutional amendments require strict compliance with legislative procedures, adding that no matter how important a proposed reform may be, due process must not be ignored.
The party also expressed concern that the bill did not receive adequate clause-by-clause consideration and argued that constitutional objections raised during deliberations were not properly addressed.
ADC further maintained that the proposed legislation had not undergone sufficient public scrutiny despite its potential to reshape Nigeria’s security system.
“It is one thing to pass a Bill for political expediency. It is another thing to ensure that it actually solves the problem it was intended to solve,” the party said.
The opposition party warned that passing such an important constitutional amendment without broad public engagement could undermine public confidence in the proposed state police framework.
“Unless this Bill is subjected to rigorous public examination, we risk enacting legislation that has survived only the echo chamber of the ruling party rather than the searching questions of the Nigerian people,” the statement added.
The ADC therefore called on the House of Representatives to recommit the bill to a fresh, transparent and inclusive legislative process, insisting that Nigeria deserves a state police framework that is thoroughly debated before becoming part of the Constitution.
