Ex-Rivers Governor Omehia Warns Against State Police, Pushes Electoral Reform

Former Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia, has faulted renewed calls for the creation of state police, warning that it would be vulnerable to abuse by state governors.

Speaking in Abuja during the presentation of his new book, “Restructuring Nigeria: The Way Forward,” Omehia said governors have not shown the capacity to handle such responsibility fairly and would likely deploy state-controlled police as political weapons, particularly during elections.

He noted that unlike the United States, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom and India, where state policing thrives because of strict adherence to constitutional provisions, Nigeria’s weak culture of obedience to the constitution would make state police dangerous.

“In Nigeria today, violence is already a tool in politics. If state police are established, it will become a convenient instrument for governors to target their opponents,” Omehia cautioned.

On electoral reform, the former governor proposed retaining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but insisted that its independence must be guaranteed. He recommended that the INEC Chairman should emerge through an election rather than appointment by the President, while commissioners should also be elected at provincial level.

Omehia further suggested that INEC’s funding should be constitutionally guaranteed to insulate it from executive influence. “If they continue to depend on the executive for funding, he who pays the piper will dictate the tune,” he said.

The ex-governor also canvassed fiscal federalism with a new revenue-sharing formula that would allow states to retain 50 per cent of their resources, send another 50 per cent to zonal governments, and remit a portion to the federal government. He explained that this structure would empower states and bring governance closer to the people.

Omehia stressed that restructuring should not be equated with state creation or a return to the regional system, but with reforms that strengthen governance and address defects in Nigeria’s political system.