There is anxiety over a possible chaotic plenary session at the House of Representatives when lawmakers resume on March 31 from the Sallah break.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that the session may not proceed smoothly due to the Federal Government’s failure to pay outstanding financial liabilities to contractors for capital projects captured in the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that nonpayment of the contractors is threatening the re-election prospects of many lawmakers in the current 10th National Assembly.
Members of parliament traditionally rely on constituency projects to strengthen ties with constituents and demonstrate performance ahead of elections. These projects often serve as key campaign tools.
However, the 2027 general elections could prove a major test for many legislators, as the failure to release funds for capital projects in the 2025 fiscal year has further weakened their standing at home.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that the situation recently pushed members of the minority caucus in the House of Representatives to threaten a boycott of a plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Weeks earlier, opposition lawmakers had raised concerns over what they described as poor implementation of the 2024/2025 budgets and hinted at possible moves to demand the removal of key officials in the country’s public finance system.
In a notice of a strategic meeting signed by Fred Agbedi (PDP, Bayelsa) and Afam Ogene (ADC, Anambra), the caucus said the gathering would “deliberate on pressing national and legislative issues, with particular focus on fiscal governance, legislative oversight and the performance of the minority leadership in the House.”
According to the notice, a major item on the agenda was “the reported failure to implement the 2025 budget throughout the fiscal year, despite the House approving all loan requests submitted by the executive.”
Members were expected to interrogate claims that funds appropriated for capital projects were not released as assured.
The caucus is also considering “a demand for greater accountability in the finance sector, including a possible call for the removal of the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi.”
The top government officials are accused of assuring lawmakers that the capital components of the 2025 budget would be implemented and that outstanding 2024 obligations would be cleared before the end of 2025—assurances lawmakers say were not fulfilled.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH in Abuja, leader of the North-West House of Representatives Caucus, Sada Soli, disclosed that the Federal Government had yet to pay the contractors, but the parliament had continued engagement with top government functionaries.
“Nothing has been done yet, just promises, but the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, is engaging the Minister of Finance, the Director General of the Budget Office, and the Accountant General of the Federation,” Soli said.
Credible sources also told our correspondent that the failure to execute zonal intervention projects captured in the 2025 budget had rendered many legislators unpopular in their constituencies.
An African Democratic Congress lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation could be worsened by the Electoral Act 2026, which removed indirect primary elections as an option for political parties for the 2027 polls.
“I can tell you that members are not happy. The opposition, no matter how few we are now, will definitely speak to the issues. Do you expect a smooth plenary session in this kind of situation?
“How do we convince our people that these projects were not executed due to the non-release of funds? Many think we collected the money for our families. When you fail to execute promised projects, how do you ask them to vote for you again?
“Then, there is the removal of the indirect primary selection option. With every party member eligible to vote, we might end up with voters preferring fresh faces, seeing current legislators as failures due to the 2025 budget’s poor performance.”
Another lawmaker from the North-West expressed similar frustration.
“It is shameful that after assurances were made by top government officials to release funds for capital projects, nothing has happened. We have raised this repeatedly, but nothing has changed.
“It is because of this that we almost grounded plenary activities two weeks ago until we went into executive session, where the Speaker pleaded with us to consider the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
“If nothing changes, I don’t want to sound alarm, but lawmakers will make their feelings known when we resume,” he said.
He highlighted the difficulty of returning to the Green Chamber given the current state of affairs.
“What we must understand is that the political career of some of us is at risk. Is it going to be easy returning to your seat given the situation on the ground? This is a question not many legislators can answer,” he said.
The lawmaker added there would be “no funding, no sitting,” if things remain unchanged.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a South-East lawmaker also said, “How can we convince Nigerians that we are working for them? If capital projects are not implemented, how can we say the government is performing? One thing is clear: we will demand accountability because most of the projects we attracted are yet to commence.”
Wading into the controversy, the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, said the lawmakers’ frustration was understandable but warned against actions that could undermine governance.
According to him, delayed funding weakens trust and creates a disconnect between lawmakers and constituents.
“When budgetary allocations are delayed, it signifies a breakdown in the mechanisms supposed to facilitate timely execution of governance. It also risks exacerbating the disconnect between the legislature and the electorate.
“In a democratic society, the legislative body serves as a crucial link between the government and citizens.
“However, recent developments regarding the potential grounding of parliamentary activities raise significant questions about governance and the role of representatives in fulfilling their obligations,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, urged caution, questioning the timing of the outrage.
“It is a welcome development but also a sobering one. Why the sudden outrage? Why now? Is the trigger genuinely about governance and accountability, or is it connected to delays in releasing constituency project funds?
“When oversight is most needed, silence often prevails. Yet, as the election season approaches, voices grow louder and indignation becomes performative. Genuine accountability should not be seasonal,” he said.
He warned Nigerians “not to mistake political theatre for principled oversight.”
Pro-democracy activist and founder of Women Arise, Joe Okei-Odumakin, in a separate interview, described the situation as both understandable and troubling.
“The development is both understandable and troubling. When the capital components of the 2025 budget are not released, it directly affects lawmakers’ ability to execute projects. In that sense, their frustration is understandable,” she stressed.
However, she cautioned against disrupting legislative business.
“The threat to ground parliamentary activities raises serious constitutional and institutional concerns. It may also send the wrong signal that legislative duties are conditional upon access to capital releases,” she warned.
She advised lawmakers to pursue institutional remedies rather than suspend plenary.
Similarly, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre warned that suspending legislative work could undermine democratic stability.
Its Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, said, “The National Assembly has constitutional responsibilities that go beyond constituency projects. Any attempt to paralyse its functions over personal interest risks undermining democratic stability and weakening institutional credibility.”
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