A group of bipartisan lawmakers in the House of Representatives, under the aegis of the Save Nigeria Group, has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to immediately reconvene both chambers for an emergency session.
The lawmakers said the proposed session should address concerns over the under-implementation of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Acts, the constitutional controversy surrounding the State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill and allegations of off-budget expenditure.
They also want the National Assembly to examine the non-release of capital funds to security agencies, the worsening security situation and measures to restore public confidence in the rule of law and democratic governance.
The position was contained in a statement issued on Friday and jointly signed by Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante (NDC, Rivers), Hon. Abubakar Kusada (APC, Katsina) and Hon. Mansur Jega (ADC, Kebbi) on behalf of other concerned lawmakers.
The lawmakers stressed that the group was neither an opposition platform nor an instrument of any political interest, but a coalition of legislators concerned about what they described as the declining state of Nigeria’s democracy and the growing tendency of public institutions to disregard constitutional provisions.
They warned that continued silence in the face of alleged constitutional violations and institutional failures could no longer be justified.
According to them, Nigeria is currently facing challenges including disregard for the rule of law, chronic budget under-implementation, alleged off-budget expenditure, economic hardship and worsening insecurity.
The lawmakers argued that democracy cannot survive when constitutional procedures are treated as optional and legal safeguards are replaced with political expediency.
They specifically raised concerns about the National Assembly’s approval of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, alleging that lawmakers relied on voice votes despite Section 305(6) of the Constitution requiring a two-thirds majority of all members of each chamber.
They also questioned the reported passage of the Executive State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill by the House on July 23, 2026.
The lawmakers alleged that although the Speaker announced that 311 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, some members who were present during the proceedings claimed that the number of lawmakers physically in the chamber at the time could not have reached the required threshold.
They alleged that votes transmitted through WhatsApp by lawmakers who were not physically present may have been included in the announced figure.
The group argued that Section 9(2) of the Constitution requires the affirmative votes of at least two-thirds of all members of each chamber before the Constitution can be altered.
They maintained that the announcement of a voting figure by the Speaker could not replace strict constitutional compliance.
“State Police may be desirable, but a desirable reform must still be established through a lawful process,” the lawmakers said.
On budget implementation, the lawmakers expressed concern over repeated extensions, rollovers and delays in implementing capital projects during the 2024, 2025 and 2026 fiscal cycles.
They recalled that the Federal Government indicated in 2025 that only about 30 per cent of the year’s capital budget would be funded, with approximately 70 per cent carried forward into 2026.
They described the situation as a recurring breakdown of fiscal governance rather than an isolated administrative delay.
The lawmakers also referenced comments by Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, who had described failure to implement an Appropriation Act as a breach of the law that could amount to an impeachable offence.
They demanded comprehensive budget implementation reports for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, full disclosure of capital releases to ministries, departments and agencies, and reconciliation of revenues collected with expenditure authorised by the National Assembly.
They further called for an explanation for the non-release of appropriated capital funds, a joint parliamentary investigation into chronic budget under-implementation and appropriate constitutional action where deliberate or unjustifiable non-implementation is established.
On alleged off-budget spending, the lawmakers called for an independent forensic audit of all reported expenditure not captured in approved budgets.
They cited a reported International Monetary Fund disclosure in July 2026 that public expenditure equivalent to about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had not been recorded in recent official budgets, an amount they estimated at about N8.83 trillion.
The lawmakers said the allegation warranted immediate legislative scrutiny and forensic auditing, stressing that public funds must be properly appropriated, accounted for and disclosed.
They also raised concerns about funding for security agencies amid persistent attacks, killings, kidnappings and displacement caused by terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups.
The lawmakers referenced claims that some security agencies had received no capital releases despite the worsening security situation.
They also questioned the reported release of about N20.27 billion, representing nearly the entire budgetary provision for the Presidential Air Fleet, compared with what they described as limited funding for security equipment for the Nigerian Army.
They called for the immediate release of duly appropriated capital funds to the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, intelligence agencies and other security institutions.
The lawmakers commended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for speaking out on insecurity, economic hardship, democratic decline and concerns over emerging one-party dominance.
They also commended the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria for calling for caution, broader consultation and national consensus before the establishment of State Police.
The lawmakers maintained that the current situation in Nigeria did not permit the National Assembly to remain away from plenary while critical constitutional, fiscal, economic and security issues remained unresolved.
They therefore urged Akpabio and Abbas to immediately reconvene both chambers for an emergency session.
They stressed that the National Assembly was not merely an institution for approving executive proposals, but an independent arm of government constitutionally empowered to represent Nigerians, defend the Constitution, appropriate public funds, conduct oversight and hold the Executive accountable.
The lawmakers clarified that they were not opposed to State Police, economic reforms or necessary public expenditure, but insisted that such measures must be pursued through constitutional procedures, transparent budgeting and proper legislative oversight.
