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- To raise non implementation of budget at plenary
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Minority Caucus has said it is the constitutional duty of the parliament to hold the Executive arm of government to attack.
Minority Caucus, in a statement by its spokesman, Afam Ogene, recalled that President Bola Tinubu, when he was in opposition, has declared that “the buck stops at the President’s table,” noting that constitutional position has not changed.
The caucus, which was reacting to the response of the House Spokesman, Akin Rotimi, to the position of the opposition lawmakers on the state of the nation, stated that ” the legislature must never look away when the country bleeds.”
The minority caucus, at a press briefing,by its leadership, earlier in the week, raised concerns about the security in the country, noting that the present administration was allegedly prioritizing 2027 politics over the well being of citizens.
However, Rotimi, while responding to the minority caucus, stated, among others that Nigeria’s security challenges did not emerge overnight and cannot be “resolved through isolated intervention.”
Nonetheless, the opposition lawmakers noted “that the Executive has repeatedly failed to honour commitments made to the Nigerian people through the Parliament. But rather than demand accountability, the House Spokesman has chosen to defend the indefensible.
“The Caucus declares, unequivocally, that Parliament is not, and will never be, a lapdog of the Executive. We will keep speaking for Nigerians, even if the Majority Caucus elects to capitulate at the altar of blind partisanship, shredding the sacred doctrine of checks and balances, upon which democracy either bleeds or thrives.”
The minority caucus, while expressing concern over alleged “procedural impropriety exhibited by the House Spokesman,” in his statement, noted that it ” sets a dangerous precedent for parliamentary conduct.”
It stated that “while the House Spokesman is at liberty to speak for the Speaker, the House Leadership, or the Majority Caucus, he possesses no mandate to purport to speak for the entire House or to misappropriate the views of the Minority Caucus. Such conduct is a clear violation of established parliamentary procedure and an affront to the rights and privileges of Members of the 10th House of Representatives.
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“The matters raised by the Minority Caucus fall within the constitutional oversight functions of the National Assembly over the Executive. With numerous spokespersons in the Presidency, it is not the duty of the House Spokesman to embark on an unsolicited defense of the Executive.
“This conduct reinforces public perception of the 10th House as an appendage of the Executive. Sections 14(2)(b) and 88 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) mandate Parliament to ensure the security and welfare of the people and to expose corruption, inefficiency, and waste. The Minority Caucus will not abdicate this sacred duty.”
Consequently, the caucus demanded a public apology from Rotimi, for allegedly “misrepresenting the position of the House and for contempt of the Minority Caucus. Failure to render such apology within 72 hours will compel the Caucus to petition the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges for appropriate redress.”
The opposition lawmakers also said it has resolved “to formally raise, upon resumption of plenary, the issue of persistent non-implementation of the National Budget since 2024. The Caucus notes with alarm that defense and security-related Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have recorded less than 30% budget implementation.
” There is a direct correlation between the non-payment of local contractors, breakdowns of operational logistics, and escalating insecurity across the country. The Armed Forces can not sustainably prosecute campaigns against heavily-armed insurgents under such fiscal constraints.
“The Minority Caucus will keep speaking out for Nigerians, as the Constitution demands. That is not partisanship; it is parliamentary duty. The legislature is the soul of democracy because of its sacred responsibility to the people. If the Majority Caucus chooses to forget this, the Minority Caucus will not continue to abdicate this sacred responsibility. ”
