State Houses of Assembly will consult governors before taking final positions on the proposed State Police Bill, according to the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Emomotimi Guwor.
Guwor, who is also Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, said the consultation was intended to help lawmakers and governors harmonize their views on the proposed framework.
He spoke after the National Assembly announced the transmission of constitution-review bills to state legislatures.
Guwor said the Conference of Speakers had taken note of the development and was awaiting formal copies of the resolutions.
He said the state police proposal would receive detailed legislative scrutiny because of its implications for governance, security and constitutional responsibilities at state level.
The speakers are expected to engage the Nigeria Governors’ Forum as part of the consultation process.
Guwor said governors and state lawmakers both had important roles in the constitutional-amendment process.
He assured that speakers across the states would be carried along and that the eventual resolutions of state legislatures would be transmitted to the National Assembly in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The consultation will form part of the broader debate over whether Nigeria should decentralize policing and create constitutionally recognized state police structures.
