President Bola Tinubu has intensified his administration’s push for a decentralized security architecture, revealing on Thursday that he has personally assured the United States and European partners of his commitment to establishing state police in Nigeria.
Speaking at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre, the President framed the move as an essential step toward stabilizing the nation and improving grassroots governance. He told party leaders that during recent high-level discussions with foreign dignitaries, he expressed unwavering confidence in the party’s ability to legislative these changes.
“I had a very long discussion with them. US and European partners, and I was bragging to them that we will definitely pass a state police bill to improve security,” Tinubu stated. “They asked me if I’m confident, and I said, ‘Yes, I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen,’ and if at this level we fail, God forbid, we will not fail.”
Beyond security, the President turned his attention to the financial autonomy of local governments, demanding that governors comply with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on direct allocations. Addressing the practice of state joint accounts, he insisted that council mandates must be backed by accessible funds.
“Look at the recent Supreme Court judgment, what can we do with it, and how well we can position our country and our party?” the President asked the caucus. “To me, the local government autonomy, it is and must be effective. There is no autonomy without a funded mandate; give them their money directly. That’s the truth. That’s compliance of the Supreme Court.”
Supporting the President’s call for unity, Senate President Godswill Akpabio characterized the current wave of violence across the country as a calculated effort by adversaries to destabilize the government.
“We are very sad that people have decided to torment Nigeria with very serious, organised and orchestrated insecurity,” Akpabio remarked. “So as we grow, there will be envy, there will be jealousy, and with jealousy comes hatred, and with hatred comes challenges. Mr. President, ours in this caucus today is to assure you that we are not only with you, we are also praying for you, praying for you to overcome the challenges of the day, and also praying for Nigeria.”
Akpabio also highlighted the Senate’s legislative efforts to impose the death penalty on kidnappers and praised the President for the recent rescue of over 100 abducted children. “We thank the President for the release of over 100 children who were kidnapped very recently, and we pray to God to give him the ability and the enablement to release the remaining children to rejoin their families,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima also addressed the gathering, noting the party’s rapid expansion across various geopolitical zones but warning against complacency as the 2027 election cycle nears.
“I wish to implore all of us to know that to succeed is much easier than to maintain that success. The whole of the South-South region is in the APC fold—the whole of the North Central. Out of the seven states in the North West, five are in the APC. Out of the six states in the South West, four are in the APC. Out of the six states in the North East, four are in the APC. Certainly, we have become a pan-Nigerian party,” Shettima declared.
Akpabio echoed this sentiment of inclusion, urging veteran party members to welcome the six PDP governors who recently defected to the APC. “Let me appeal to all our leaders that all the political stakeholders coming in from other political parties must be given equal opportunities to thrive. There must not be any discrimination,” Akpabio appealed.
The caucus meeting serves as a precursor to the broader National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where these strategic security and governance policies are expected to be formally ratified.
