Andrew Zamani, Professor of Psychology and President of the Pan-African Psychology Union, has said the newly passed state policing bill contains safeguards to prevent governors from arbitrarily removing state commissioners of police.
Speaking on Arise News‘ News Night programme in a video posted on Sunday, June 28, 2026, Zamani responded to concerns raised by former Anambra State Governor and New Democratic Coalition presidential candidate Peter Obi that state police could be vulnerable to political interference.
Zamani said the legislation requires a commissioner of police to be appointed through a process involving the National Police Council and approval by the state House of Assembly. He added that removal must follow the same legal procedure.
“The law that has just been passed by the National Assembly puts it in such a way that no state governor can arbitrarily sack a state Commissioner of Police… He cannot sack such a person without going through the National Police Council,” he said.
He also stated that a state commissioner of police could reject an unlawful directive from a governor by referring the matter to the National Police Council. Zamani described the bill as a long-overdue reform and urged the media, opposition parties, and civil society to continue engaging with the legislative process before its full implementation.
