President Bola Tinubu on Thursday declared that the creation of state police in Nigeria is inevitable, saying he has already assured foreign partners that the country will decentralise its policing system to tackle worsening insecurity.
Speaking at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, Tinubu said he had held extensive discussions with United States and European partners, during which he expressed confidence that Nigeria would pass a state police bill.
“I had a very long discussion with them — US and European partners — and I told them we will definitely pass a state police bill to improve security,” the President said.
“They asked me if I was confident, and I said yes, because I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen.”
Tinubu said the APC, as the ruling party, must take responsibility for addressing Nigeria’s security challenges through reforms backed by reconciliation, accommodation and flexibility at the grassroots.
He also stressed that local government autonomy must move beyond rhetoric, urging strict implementation of the recent Supreme Court judgment mandating direct allocation of funds to councils.
“There is no autonomy without a funded mandate,” Tinubu said. “Give them their money directly. That is compliance with the Supreme Court.”
The President’s remarks came amid persistent allegations that some governors control or divert local government funds through joint accounts, a practice critics say weakens grassroots governance and development.
Tinubu urged governors and party leaders to take responsibility for security and governance within their states and councils, arguing that effective local administration would help stabilise communities.
He also called for greater inclusion of women in party leadership and decision-making, urging stakeholders to deliberately widen opportunities for women within the APC.
The President further offered condolences to Bayelsa State over the death of its Deputy Governor and called for prayers for the country.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, in his address, warned that sustaining the APC’s growing national dominance would be more difficult than achieving it, as he expressed confidence ahead of the 2027 general election.
“To succeed is much easier than to maintain that success,” Shettima said, while highlighting the party’s expanding influence across geopolitical zones.
He described the APC as a pan-Nigerian party, citing its growing foothold across the South-South, North Central, North West, South West and North East.
Shettima also reassured governors and political actors who recently defected to the APC that they had found a home in the ruling party, naming governors of Rivers, Enugu, Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom states among them.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio lamented what he described as “organised and orchestrated insecurity,” assuring Tinubu of the caucus’ support and prayers.
He commended the President for securing the release of over 100 kidnapped children and appealed for the rescue of those still in captivity.
Akpabio also said the National Assembly had taken bold legislative steps to deter criminality, including moves to classify kidnapping as terrorism, which could attract the death penalty once signed into law.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, hailed the party’s growing national acceptance, citing high-profile defections, the rollout of an electronic membership registration system and plans for a new national secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda said the APC now enjoys an overwhelming majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, adding that recent political realignments underscored the party’s pan-Nigerian character.
The APC National Caucus meeting brought together the President, Vice President, APC governors, National Working Committee members and other key stakeholders. The party is expected to reconvene for its National Executive Committee meeting on Friday.
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