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By Newspot Nigeria Politics Desk
The Peoples Redemption Party has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s push for the creation of state police, describing the proposal as suspicious and warning that the present administration lacks the public trust required to carry out such a major security reform.
The party made its position known in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its National Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
According to the PRP, although Nigeria urgently needs a major overhaul of its security and law enforcement institutions, the Tinubu administration has not shown the credibility, competence or moral authority needed to lead such a sensitive constitutional change.
The party said the country’s worsening insecurity had created a genuine need to rethink policing, but argued that the process must be handled by a government that enjoys broad public confidence.
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“The Peoples Redemption Party is deeply concerned over plans by President Tinubu’s administration to procure state police through constitutional amendment at a time when its credibility and competence are at an unprecedented low level in our democratic history,” the statement said.
PRP added that the ruling All Progressives Congress administration had failed to properly manage Nigeria’s existing security institutions, and therefore should not be trusted with a restructuring that would place police powers closer to state governments.
“This administration lacks the moral assets and the trust of Nigerians to undertake a major shift in the policing structure of the country,” the party said.
It further declared that “the APC administration has failed to manage our security structure and institutions,” insisting that the plan to create state police “is suspicious and should be rejected.”
The party also advised that sensitive national questions such as state police should not be rushed under the present political atmosphere. It said the next general election should first provide a credible democratic threshold before the country decides on major constitutional reforms affecting internal security.
“The forthcoming election should be a threshold which should be crossed with credibility and popular acclaim before the nation decides on important issues such as state police structures,” the statement added.
PRP urged the Federal Government to concentrate on tackling the country’s current security crisis, saying citizens are still living under fear caused by banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, communal violence and other forms of criminality.
The party said the administration should make greater efforts to secure lives and property rather than push reforms that may deepen public suspicion.
The state police debate has remained one of Nigeria’s most controversial security questions. Supporters argue that decentralised policing would allow states to respond faster to local threats, gather better intelligence and reduce pressure on the overstretched federal police system.
Critics, however, fear that state governors could abuse state police for political intimidation, election manipulation or personal interests if strong safeguards are not put in place.
President Tinubu recently transmitted a constitutional amendment bill seeking the establishment of state police. The proposal has gained momentum in the National Assembly, but it has not yet become law, as constitutional amendments still require approval from at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly.
The PRP’s intervention is expected to add fresh political pressure to the debate, especially as Nigeria continues to search for a more effective response to insecurity across the country.
— Newspot Nigeria
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