State Police: Obi Urges Postponement Until After the 2027 Elections

By Henry Umoru

Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2027 elections, has argued that the creation of State Police should be delayed until after the forthcoming polls.

The former governor of Anambra State cautioned that the process could be misused politically and stressed that the alleged disorganization of the procedure must be addressed first.

Obi made his remarks on Friday through his X account following the Senate’s passage of the State Police Bill.

“The recent passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly marks a significant legislative milestone in addressing a long‑standing demand of the Nigerian people. For years, many of us, alongside security experts and regional stakeholders, have consistently argued that a highly centralised policing structure is fundamentally unsuitable for a country as vast, diverse, and complex as Nigeria. However, the legislative and constitutional implementation appears shaky and raises legitimate concerns.”

He added that the process should involve greater community participation and that policing ought to be more visible at the local government and community levels. Obi said the mechanism for passing the law appears highly disorganized, with no public hearing on such a sensitive issue, and that the rush to enact the law without proper legislative procedures fuels suspicion among many observers about its political motives.

Obi noted that the greatest concern does not stem from logistical issues but from history. He expressed a widespread, justifiable fear that state police forces could become instruments in the hands of governors, potentially weaponized to suppress political rivals, disrupt opposition rallies, and manipulate elections.

To transform state policing from a risky political gamble into a genuine security solution, Obi said the law must not only allow 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. This would help ensure that policing serves the public interest rather than the interests of the ruling elite.

He warned that, based on what Nigerians have seen so far, there is no guarantee that the current administration can resist the temptation to use state policing to influence the 2027 general election by proxy.

Given that possibility and the danger it poses to the polity, Obi called for deferring the implementation of state policing until after the general election. “A New Nigeria is Possible.”