The proposed establishment of state police, financial autonomy for local governments and electoral reforms are among the major constitutional amendment initiatives moving to the next stage as the National Assembly transmits the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states for consideration.

The transmission, carried out on Wednesday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, requires the state legislatures to consider the bill and communicate their resolutions in accordance with Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The provision requires approval by at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly, representing 24 legislatures, before the National Assembly can complete the constitutional amendment process.

The priority proposals include the creation of state police services, local government financial autonomy, independent candidacy, establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission, special legislative seats for women and judicial reforms.

The state police proposal seeks to establish a dual policing structure comprising federal and state police services, while the local government reforms seek to strengthen the autonomy and constitutional protection of the third tier of government.

Ogunlana said the state assemblies were expected to communicate their resolutions within 30 days of receiving the bill, clarifying that the timeframe was administrative and not a constitutional deadline.

He added that the National Assembly recognised the independence and constitutional responsibilities of the state legislatures and that the process would be conducted in compliance with the Constitution and principles of due process.

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has said it is now difficult to rig an election.

Fayose said this when he featured on Channels Television’s Politics monitored by the column.ng

He said, “Politics is not a tea party. Asiwaju (referring to Tinubu) will have 12 million votes. Go and write it down. You know to rig election is now difficult. Very very difficult.”

On the controversy over the Rainbow Coalition convened by Wike, Fayose said Wike and the APC governors were backing Tinubu in different ways.

Wike and APC governors have been locking horns over the coalition, with the governors vowing not to support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or creating competing interests within the ruling party.

Wike had fired back at the governors, saying his target was making President Bola Tinubu secure a second term, and not to assist them win their states.

But Fayose said what mattered was whether the coalition could deliver votes for the president, particularly in Rivers State.

“I sincerely don’t want to join issues on these two sides. These are issues of simply everybody exercising their interest in the system. And everything I tell you again, is not about an NDC having an incursion as a result of what they are doing or ADC. No.”

“If Rainbow works for Wike in Rivers, and it can bring results, that’s all the president wants.

“If Rainbow works and can give him numbers, you understand? So be it. The government says in our state, after all, Wike will not come to their states. Wike will not come there and vote.

“He will not come there and form a coalition rainbow. And don’t let us deceive ourselves. Even in Nigeria. It’s only that rainbow is in a particular state. Where the handler says, I can handle the rainbow. If the rainbow is to carry everybody along, guarantee everybody’s interest, ensure that, okay, if rainbow produces this, produces that, he will get this, you will get that.

“As a man, who could flip an election, for a governorship candidate of people, and the PDP also could. If they have the capacity, and that they have done it, then he has capacity to do it in some states. The question is that, has he gone to any other state, to preach rainbow? No.”

Fayose said the disagreement between Wike and the APC governors should not be interpreted as a threat to Tinubu’s re-election.

“Everything works together for good, for the president. Without controversy, you can’t get far. Controversy in itself will help the election.”

“This controversy has nothing to do with the winning of the president. In fact, it makes it much better. Nigerians know who Wike is and the institution, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and they are both saying different things in different ways.

“Nigerian Governors’ Forum say we are not doing coalition, Wike says do what you have to do in your state. Whatever you feel comfortable with. If you are comfortable without a coalition, go ahead.

“The method that works for A might not work for B. And this is not even playing to the hands of the opposition, because the two of them are united behind the president. And don’t forget, these are men of strength in our country.

“You should expect this. The moment there is interest, power struggle, interest, you should expect all this. This has taken nothing out of the system.

“That is the truth. This has taken nothing out of the system. So in my understanding, they all say the same thing in different ways.

“But don’t forget, everybody has his own ego. Every one of us, including myself.”

Fayose is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) working for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He is also the second known PDP chieftain with an appointment under the APC administration.

Some months ago, Tinubu named Fayose Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Board.

The Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has rejected any alliance or political arrangement that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or affect the party’s candidates in the 2027 general election.

The governors said they would neither participate in, support nor endorse any political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or creating competing interests within the ruling party.

Chairman of the forum and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, made the position known after a closed-door meeting of the governors at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Reading the communique issued after the meeting, Uzodimma said the governors’ priority was to support candidates officially fielded by the APC at all levels.

He said the forum had no intention of supporting candidates outside the APC, stressing that the party’s candidates were contesting under its platform.

“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels.

“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party.

“The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party.”

On the proposed APC Presidential Campaign Council, the governors said they would take leading roles in mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election in their respective states.

According to them, the campaign strategy would focus on grassroots mobilisation, with efforts to reach communities and engage different demographic groups across the country.

The governors also pledged to strengthen internal party unity and harmonise campaign structures from the national level down to the constituencies.

They said they would equally continue to drive development in their respective states in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda. agenda.