Peter Obi urges government to postpone State Police formation until after the 2027 election.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi has called on the Federal Government to postpone the rollout of State Police until after the 2027 general election. He warns that introducing the new policing framework before the polls could allow it to be used for political ends.

Obi made the remarks in a statement posted on his official page.

He argued that enacting the State Police law ahead of the next election could enable governors to use state-controlled police forces to intimidate rivals, disrupt opposition activities and sway electoral outcomes.

“Based on what Nigerians have witnessed so far, there is no assurance that this administration will resist the temptation to exploit state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy. Given that possibility and the danger it poses to the polity, it is necessary to defer its implementation until after the general election,” he said.

Obi praised the National Assembly’s passage of the State Police Bill as a positive step toward addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that security experts and many Nigerians have long advocated decentralised policing because of the country’s size and complexity.

However, he criticized the legislative process, contending that a law of such national significance should have involved wider public consultation.

“The process should involve greater community participation. Policing should be more visible at the local government and community levels,” he said.

Obi also urged the creation of independent state-level Police Service Commissions that would be insulated from executive influence, arguing that such oversight bodies would prevent state police from serving political interests.

“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… to ensure that policing serves the public interest rather than the interests of the ruling elite,” he added.