The national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has endorsed Peter Obi’s position that the implementation of state police should be postponed until after the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Sunday, Dickson said while he supports the creation of state police, the reform should not be rushed.
His comments followed the Senate’s passage of a constitutional amendment bill last week seeking to establish state police across Nigeria.
Obi had described the Senate’s approval as a major step towards addressing insecurity through decentralised policing. However, he argued that implementation should be deferred until after the 2027 elections, warning that governors could misuse state police against political opponents if sufficient safeguards are not in place.
Backing Obi’s position, Dickson said the reform should proceed more cautiously.
“Peter Obi is right and that is also my view. We can start the process. The president has started a good thing by introducing the reform. I encouraged him to do it, even though I disagree with the speed with which it is going. We need to slow it down a little bit.”
Dickson said Nigeria’s immediate priority should be tackling terrorism and insecurity while creating conditions for credible elections.
“Every national attention and resource now should be focused on fighting terrorism and insecurity and creating the environment to enable us to have an election. The business of implementing the reform should be left for the next government.”
The comments add to the growing debate over the proposed state policing system, with supporters arguing it would strengthen local security while critics continue to raise concerns about possible political abuse.
