The National Assembly has received approval reports from 28 State Houses of Assembly for the proposed constitutional amendment to establish State Police Services in Nigeria.
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, confirming that the number of approving states had exceeded the constitutionally required two-thirds threshold of 24 states.
Ogunlana said the bill, seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and related matters, was transmitted to the 36 state assemblies on September 16, 2026, for consideration and approval.
The state legislatures were initially given 30 days, ending October 15, to communicate their decisions to the National Assembly. However, the Clerk said his office would continue to receive approval reports until the bill is transmitted for presidential assent.
He explained that the 28 reports received had undergone administrative verification, including examination of the accompanying Votes and Proceedings, to authenticate the decisions of the respective state legislatures.
The Clerk also clarified that Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution does not expressly require a Third Reading for constitutional alteration bills, unlike the procedure applicable to ordinary legislation.
With the required number of state assemblies having approved the amendment, Ogunlana said the National Assembly had commenced the necessary administrative processes to transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent in accordance with the Acts Authentication Act.
He described the development as a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture and deepening its federal system, while commending the state assemblies for their cooperation in the constitutional amendment process.
