2027: Tinubu, Governors Want State Police for Political Intimidation, Galadima Alleges

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu and state governors are pushing for the creation of state police to advance political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Galadima argued that the proposed state police structure could become a tool for political intimidation rather than a solution to Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.

He questioned how state police would succeed where the Nigerian Police Force and the military have struggled, insisting that the initiative was never genuinely conceived as a response to insecurity.

“Nobody ever conceived the idea of state police to sort out our security challenge. If the Nigerian police and the Nigerian military can’t solve the security situation in the country, I wonder how the state police would be able to do that,” he said.

Galadima further alleged that the real objective behind the proposal was to give political leaders greater control over security agencies before the next general election.

“All that we know is that the President and governors are looking for state police before the election so that they use them as political thugs to attack the opposition, disrupt elections and kill democracy,” he claimed.

Drawing from Nigeria’s political history, the NDC stalwart referenced the era of the Native Authority Police in Northern Nigeria, alleging that the outfit was used to suppress opposition figures through arbitrary arrests and detention during election periods.

He also expressed concern that state police could deepen ethnic and religious divisions across the country. According to him, states dominated by a single ethnic or religious group could establish security outfits that marginalise residents from other parts of Nigeria, undermining constitutional rights and national unity.

Galadima maintained that while insecurity remains a serious national concern, creating state police without adequate safeguards could worsen existing tensions rather than strengthen security.