ASABA/Nigeria: State Houses of Assembly are set to engage state governors on the proposed State Police framework before taking their final positions on the constitutional amendment, Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, has said.
Guwor’s position was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Nkem Nwaeke, following the announcement by the Clerk to the National Assembly that the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, including the proposed State Police framework, had been transmitted to the state legislatures.
The Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, however, said the state legislatures were still awaiting the formal copies of the resolutions and bills before commencing their consideration.
“We are still awaiting formal transmission and as soon as we receive it, we will do what will be good for the people of Nigeria,” Guwor said.
He said the Conference of Speakers would subject the proposals to detailed legislative scrutiny once the documents were received, with particular attention to the State Police proposal because of its implications for the structure and administration of security at the sub-national level.
Guwor said the planned engagement with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum was intended to allow governors and state lawmakers to harmonise their perspectives before the respective Houses of Assembly reach their conclusions on the proposed policing framework.
He noted that consultation was important because both governors and state legislatures have constitutional responsibilities in the process of altering the nation’s governing framework.
The development follows the National Assembly’s transmission of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the 36 State Houses of Assembly on September 16, 2026. The transmission marks the next stage in the constitutional amendment process.
The proposed State Police framework is among the constitutional changes now before the state legislatures. Under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, constitutional alteration requires approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly before the amendment can proceed.
Guwor assured that Speakers across the country would be kept informed as the process unfolds and that the resolutions reached by the state legislatures would be communicated to the National Assembly in accordance with the constitutional procedure.
The Conference chairman said the approach would allow the state legislatures to consider the proposed reforms on their merits before communicating their decisions through the prescribed constitutional channel.
Meta description: Delta Speaker Emomotimi Guwor says state lawmakers will consult governors before taking final positions on the proposed State Police framework transmitted by the National Assembly.
