In a definitive address that links national security strategy to political cohesion, President Bola Tinubu has disclosed his direct assurances to key international allies regarding a pivotal domestic policy shift. Speaking at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, Tinubu confirmed he informed United States and European partners of his administration’s commitment to implementing state police—a move long debated as a potential solution to Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
The president’s revelation underscores a strategic alignment of domestic policy with international diplomacy. By briefing foreign partners, Tinubu signals that the push for state police is not merely an internal political consideration but a cornerstone of his security governance, likely aimed at securing continued cooperation and support. His confident assertion, “I have a party to depend on,” frames the ruling APC as the essential political engine required to drive this significant constitutional and operational reform through the National Assembly and the court of public opinion.
The commitment to state police represents a potential paradigm shift in Nigeria’s security architecture. For decades, policing has been exclusively a federal responsibility, a structure critics argue has led to inefficiency, poor local intelligence, and an inability to address unique regional security threats from banditry to kidnapping. Tinubu’s pledge suggests an administration willing to decentralize security powers, though crucial details—such as funding models, jurisdictional boundaries, and oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse by state governors—remain to be articulated and will determine the policy’s ultimate success or failure.
Beyond security, President Tinubu seamlessly connected this pledge to broader themes of governance and party unity. He pointed to the recent Supreme Court judgment affirming local government autonomy as a parallel victory for grassroots empowerment. His stark warning that “autonomy will be meaningless if councils were not adequately funded” and his insistence that “allocations meant for local governments must go directly to them” serve as a direct challenge to state governors who have historically controlled these funds. This twin focus on state police and LG autonomy reveals a governing philosophy leaning towards devolution, aiming to strengthen tiers of government closer to the people.
The president also issued a clarion call for internal party discipline and inclusion. He emphasized that “flexibility and tolerance were essential for stability and progress,” a nod to the need for reconciliation within the APC’s often-fractious ranks. Significantly, he advocated for “greater inclusion of women in party leadership,” highlighting a persistent democratic deficit and suggesting a recognition that the party’s longevity requires broader representation.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s remarks complemented the president’s by mapping the APC’s formidable political geography. His detailed breakdown of the party’s dominance across geopolitical zones—”the whole of the South-South region is in the APC fold”—was less a celebration and more a strategic warning against complacency. His historical analogy was pointed: “Rome was not destroyed by outside invaders, Rome was destroyed by the complacency of the Romans.” Shettima’s state-by-state analysis, name-dropping powerful defectors like former PDP Vice-Presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta State, was a masterclass in political consolidation, designed to reassure new members and project an image of an unstoppable “force of nature” poised to dominate beyond the 2027 elections.
Together, the speeches by Tinubu and Shettima paint a picture of an administration at a crossroads: seeking to transform national security through decentralization while simultaneously managing a sprawling political coalition. The success of the state police policy will depend not only on convincing international partners and the public but also on navigating the intricate politics of federalism and securing the unwavering support of the very APC machinery upon which Tinubu says he depends. The path forward requires converting these assurances in Abuja into actionable, funded, and equitable law across the federation.
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