President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to the creation of state police, telling United States and European partners that Nigeria is prepared to move toward decentralised policing to tackle growing security challenges.

The President said the introduction of state police was no longer optional, describing it as a necessary step to improve internal security and strengthen governance at the state and local levels.

Tinubu spoke on Thursday at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. He also used the forum to press governors on the implementation of local government autonomy, urging them to stop withholding funds allocated to councils.

His remarks came against the backdrop of worsening insecurity across the country, sustained calls for policing reforms, and renewed pressure to enforce the Supreme Court ruling on direct allocation of funds to local governments.

Addressing party leaders, Tinubu said the APC, as Nigeria’s governing party, must demonstrate leadership through reconciliation, tolerance and flexibility, particularly at the grassroots. He urged governors and party stakeholders to accept responsibility for developments in their states and local councils.

According to the President, he recently held extensive discussions with foreign partners, during which he assured them that Nigeria would adopt state policing.

He said he expressed confidence that the APC would provide the political backing needed to pass the required legislation.

“I had a very long discussion with them, US and European partners, and I was bragging to them that we will definitely pass a state police bill to improve security,” Tinubu said.

“They asked me if I’m confident, and I said yes. I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen. If at this level we fail, God forbid, we will not fail.”

Tinubu also stressed that political reconciliation and internal party cohesion were responsibilities that must be embraced by leaders at all levels, warning that intolerance and inflexibility could undermine stability.

Turning to the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, the President urged party leaders to ensure its full implementation, arguing that grassroots governance could only be strengthened if councils were financially independent.

He said autonomy would be meaningless without direct access to funds.

“There is no autonomy without a funded mandate. Give them their money directly. That is the truth. That is compliance with the Supreme Court,” Tinubu said.

His comments came amid longstanding accusations that state governments divert local government funds through joint accounts, a practice widely criticised by local officials and civil society groups.

The President urged party leaders to take governance seriously at the local level, saying strong councils would help stabilise communities and improve service delivery.

Tinubu also expressed condolences to Bayelsa State over the death of the deputy governor and called for prayers for the nation. He further appealed for greater inclusion of women in party leadership, urging stakeholders to make deliberate efforts to bring more women into political decision-making.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking at the meeting, cautioned that sustaining political dominance would be more difficult than achieving it. He expressed confidence ahead of the 2027 general election but warned that success would depend on discipline, unity and careful management of internal party affairs.

Shettima highlighted the APC’s growing presence across the geopolitical zones, noting what he described as expanding influence even in states led by recent defectors.

“I wish to implore all of us to know that to succeed is much easier than to maintain that success,” he said, listing the party’s electoral strength across the South South, North Central, North West, South West and North East.

He said the APC had become a truly pan Nigerian party and reassured governors who recently aligned with the ruling party that they were welcome. Among those he mentioned were Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah.

The Vice President added that the party was already positioning itself for 2027, noting that more politicians were seeking to join the APC.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio also raised concerns over what he described as organised and deliberate insecurity across the country. He said terrorism, banditry and insurgency were being used to destabilise Nigeria and sow grief across several states.

Akpabio told the President and party leaders that unity within the APC was essential to confront the challenges.

He commended Tinubu for securing the release of more than 100 children kidnapped recently and appealed for the rescue of those still in captivity.

The Senate President also disclosed that the National Assembly had taken steps to strengthen deterrence, including legislation to classify kidnapping alongside terrorism. He said kidnappers would face the death penalty once the bill receives presidential assent.

Akpabio further urged governors to enforce laws on capital offences such as banditry, warning that failure to sign execution warrants could embolden convicted criminals.

He praised the APC’s steady growth, crediting the party’s leadership for attracting new members without coercion. He appealed to party leaders nationwide to ensure that new entrants were not marginalised.

APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described the party as enjoying rising national acceptance, citing recent defections, an electronic membership registration initiative and plans for a new national secretariat in Abuja.

At the caucus meeting, his first since becoming chairman in July, Yilwatda urged members to support the party’s expansion plans ahead of upcoming congresses and the national convention scheduled for March 2026.

He said the APC was consolidating its structures through a nationwide membership drive and credited Tinubu’s leadership with strengthening internal cohesion and public confidence.

Yilwatda listed governors and political figures who had recently joined the party and said the APC now holds an overwhelming majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

He also announced the activation of an electronic membership registration system to improve transparency and internal democracy. Training, he said, had been conducted across states and zones, with January 30 set as the deadline for registration ahead of congresses.

On infrastructure, Yilwatda said the party had secured land in Abuja’s Central Business District for a new national secretariat, with architectural designs already underway.

He also spoke on preparations for local government elections in the Federal Capital Territory, scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission for February 21, 2026. He said the APC had activated structures across the six area councils and was working toward victory.

The APC National Caucus is a strategic meeting that brings together the party’s top leadership, including the President, Vice President, governors, national officers and key stakeholders, to align on political and organisational priorities.

Several governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party who recently defected to the APC attended the meeting, including those from Rivers, Enugu, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Taraba states.

The party is scheduled to reconvene for its National Executive Committee meeting at the State House on Friday at 5:00 pm.