Lawmaker cautions NASS against external political influences

The House of Representatives deputy spokesperson, Philip Agbese (LP, Benue), has cautioned lawmakers against allowing the National Assembly to be used to advance the interests of external political actors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

Mr Agbese, in a statement on Tuesday, said. However, lawmakers had legitimate concerns about the state of the country, particularly insecurity and the implementation of constituency projects; they must be careful about the motives and timing of actions taken in parliament as the elections approach.

His comments followed calls to the National Assembly to suspend its recess and resume plenary to address what they described as pressing national challenges.

A group of lawmakers under the aegis of the Save Democracy Group recently raised concerns about what it described as the “nosediving” of Nigeria’s democracy, citing alleged constitutional breaches, poor budget implementation, opaque public expenditure, economic hardship, and worsening insecurity.

The group, comprising lawmakers from different political parties and regions, made its position known in a statement issued in Abuja on 5 August.

While acknowledging his colleagues’ concerns, Mr Agbese questioned the timing of the demand that the National Assembly suspend its recess.

“One cannot say the highly respected lawmakers are wrong, but the timing is suspicious,” he said.

Stay Ahead with Premium Times

Add as a preferred source on Google

The lawmaker said the proximity of the 2027 elections made it necessary for members of parliament to scrutinise their actions and ensure that the legislature was not drawn into political battles being driven by interests outside the National Assembly.

“The 2027 elections are just around the corner, and one must be careful not to be seen to be running errands for highly vested political interests outside the parliament,” he said.

He urged lawmakers to ensure that legitimate parliamentary interventions were driven by national interest rather than the political calculations of individuals or groups seeking to influence the 2027 elections.

‘National Assembly isn’t a rubber stamp’

Mr Agbese also rejected the perception that the 10th National Assembly merely endorses bills and policies initiated by the executive.

He said the legislature had independently initiated several measures to address challenges facing Nigerians, arguing that the executive’s introduction of similar proposals should not automatically be taken as evidence that parliament was acting as a rubber stamp.

“The idea is that, contrary to the insinuation being created in some quarters that we pass every bill and motion from the executive, I want to clear the air that we are working ahead of the executive on bills that have a positive impact on the generality of people,” he said.

He cited the proposed establishment of state police as an example, saying the National Assembly had been working on the issue before the executive presented its own proposal.

“We have been on the state police bills for some time now. The initiative remains solely that of the Parliament,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu’s administration recently introduced an executive bill to establish a constitutional framework for state police.

Mr Agbese said the executive’s intervention should instead provide an opportunity for both arms of government to harmonise their positions and produce a stronger proposal before it is transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly.

“What the executive has done so far by introducing an executive bill is to come in at the right time for both arms of government to have a refined document at the centre before sending the same proposal to the State Houses of Assembly,” he said.

“It is just to ensure that we don’t waste taxpayers’ ₦ resources unnecessarily by going back and forth.”

Concerns over unpaid contractors

On the controversy over the non-payment of contractors handling constituency projects, Mr Agbese acknowledged that the federal government had not fulfilled its commitments to contractors who executed projects on behalf of lawmakers.

He said the issue should not be ignored, regardless of the political circumstances surrounding the debate.

“The executive has not done well on their promise to pay contractors who have used their resources to execute constituency projects for the lawmakers. It is wrong and no need to sugarcoat it,” he said.

He, however, said the leadership of the National Assembly was engaging the executive to resolve the matter rather than allowing it to become another source of confrontation between the two arms of government.

The lawmaker also invoked Mr Tinubu’s previous experience as a parliamentarian, saying the president understood the importance of maintaining a functional relationship between the executive and legislature and ensuring that approved budgets were implemented.

“He is not just an experienced parliamentarian who has served the country in that regard; Mr President understands the essence of a good and harmonious working relationship with the parliament,” he said.

Insecurity

On insecurity, Mr Agbese said the country was beginning to record gains despite ongoing attacks and other security challenges in parts of the country.

He cited the rescue of kidnapped citizens in Oriire, Oyo State, Kwara State and other locations as evidence of progress in the operations of the security agencies.

“We are beginning to record positive gains despite the numerous challenges that we are being faced with as a country,” he said.

He commended the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, and other service chiefs for what he described as a strategic approach to coordinating the armed forces.

Mr Agbese said the experience of the military leadership was important to the country’s efforts to tackle insecurity, while also commending the federal government for measures aimed at improving the welfare of military personnel.

He specifically cited the recent increase in military personnel salaries and the renovation of military barracks as measures that could improve troops’ welfare and morale.

‘The House does not take decisions without a quorum’

Mr Agbese also dismissed allegations that the House leadership routinely makes critical decisions without the required quorum.

READ ALSO: Lawmakers seek emergency parliamentary session over insecurity, budget implementation

Some people said the House leadership doesn’t allow a quorum before making critical decisions. That is not true,” he said.

He maintained that established procedures guided legislative proceedings in the House and that the institution operated a transparent process consistent with international standards.

“We run a transparent legislative process that is of international standard,” he said.

The deputy spokesperson further urged members who disagreed with decisions of the House leadership or their colleagues to use established parliamentary mechanisms rather than resorting to confrontation.

“I doubt if the parliamentarians who want to fight have any boxing experience. We can’t allow that,” he said.