The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the House of Representatives over reports that votes sent through WhatsApp by absent lawmakers were counted during consideration of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill.
NEWSNGR reports that the opposition party said the allegations raised serious constitutional questions and called on the House to recommit the bill to a fresh, transparent and inclusive legislative process.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it supported a policing arrangement capable of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges but would not endorse a process that allegedly violated the Constitution.
The ADC referred to accounts attributed to members who participated in the House proceedings on July 23, 2026.
According to the party, the required constitutional threshold was allegedly achieved by counting votes transmitted through WhatsApp by lawmakers who were absent from the chamber.
It also alleged that members who had signed the attendance register but were no longer present when voting took place were included in the final count.
“These allegations raise profound legal and constitutional concerns,” the ADC said.
“The Constitution is not amended by convenience. It is amended through strict procedures that leave no room for improvisation.”
The party argued that the importance of the proposed reform could not justify bypassing established constitutional procedures.
“Regardless of the noble intentions behind the amendment, the constitutional process for amendment must not be circumvented,” it added.
The opposition party also expressed concern over reports that a detailed clause-by-clause consideration of the bill was restricted.
It claimed that constitutional objections raised by some lawmakers during the proceedings were not properly considered.
According to the ADC, constitutional amendments require open debate, adherence to the House Standing Orders and strict compliance with the Constitution.
“This appears not to be the case in respect of this particular amendment,” the party said.
The ADC further argued that the current version of the state police bill had not received sufficient public scrutiny.
Although proposals for state police had featured in earlier constitutional review exercises, the party said the present legislation contained significant policy changes that Nigerians had not been given adequate opportunity to examine.
“It is one thing to pass a bill for political expediency. It is another thing to ensure that it actually solves the problem it was intended to solve,” the statement read.
The ADC said the objective should not merely be to establish another policing institution but to create a framework capable of reducing insecurity across the country.
It warned that the legislation could be vulnerable to political abuse if it was passed without adequate safeguards and public participation.
The party said Nigeria had previously enacted major laws and policies that were later amended or reversed because they had not been properly examined before implementation.
It warned against repeating such mistakes with a constitutional amendment capable of significantly changing the country’s security architecture.
“Unless this bill is subjected to rigorous public examination, we risk enacting legislation that has survived only the echo chamber of the ruling party rather than the searching questions of the Nigerian people,” it said.
The ADC consequently urged the House of Representatives to recommit the bill for further consideration.
It said the renewed process should comply with the Constitution, allow wider public participation and include safeguards against political interference and abuse.
“Nigeria deserves a State Police framework that commands public confidence because it has been properly debated, strengthened to guarantee the required outcome and protected against abuse before becoming part of our Constitution,” the party added.
