State Houses of Assembly will consult state governors before taking final positions on the proposed State Police Bill, the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, has said.
Guwor, who is also the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, said the consultation would help lawmakers and governors harmonise their views on the proposed framework for state policing.
He spoke while reacting to the announcement by the Clerk to the National Assembly that the Constitution Review bills, including the State Police Bill, had been transmitted to the state legislatures.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Nkem Nwaeke, Guwor said the Speakers had taken note of the development but were still awaiting the formal copies of the resolutions.
“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,” he said.
The Speaker said the Conference would subject the bills to thorough legislative scrutiny after receiving them.
He said the State Police proposal required careful consideration because of its implications for governance at the state level.
Guwor said the proposed engagement with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum was necessary because governors and state lawmakers have constitutional responsibilities in the process of amending the Constitution.
He assured that all Speakers would be carried along throughout the process and that the resolutions of the state legislatures would be transmitted to the National Assembly in line with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
