It was a busy week at the House of Representatives. About four weeks after the members returned from a long recess, defections continued to rock the House, with the governing APC the sole beneficiary. Interestingly, the request for external borrowing by President Tinubu also resurfaced in the chamber, even as a drama involving the tertiary education admission agency, JAMB, and the unusual tasks of confirming the president’s appointees, among other issues, took centre stage. Here are the stories that made headlines from the House last week.
Bomb threats
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Internal Security Chairman, Garba Muhammad, warned of a growing insecurity in the National Assembly complex.
He made the remarks at a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish a Legislative Security Directorate, designed to professionalise and strengthen internal security operations in the parliament.
Mr Muhammad painted a grim picture of the legislature’s vulnerability, noting that threats now range from petty theft to terrorist attacks. He said the situation had become so dire that security agencies recently intercepted intelligence about terrorists planning to bomb the complex.
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He also revealed that groups of protesters had vowed to occupy or lock down the complex, stressing that these developments should not be taken lightly.
A nod for Tinubu’s $2.3bn borrowing plan
The House of Representatives approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to raise over $2.3 billion in external loans to part-finance Nigeria’s 2025 budget deficit, refinance maturing Eurobonds, and issue the country’s debut sovereign Sukuk in the international capital market.
The approval followed the consideration of a report presented by Abubakar Nalaraba, chairperson of the House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, during Wednesday’s plenary session.
The committee recommended new external borrowing of ₦1.84 trillion (about $1.23 billion) to bridge the ₦9.27 trillion deficit projected in the 2025 fiscal year.
According to the report, the loans will be used to finance key infrastructure projects, stimulate economic growth, and support macroeconomic stability.
Shocks, anger as JAMB officials walk out on lawmakers
A drama unfolded at the National Assembly on Wednesday when Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) representatives walked out at a public hearing of the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies.
The committee, chaired by Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa), had summoned JAMB Registrar Ishaq Oloyede to appear before it for an oversight session on the board’s 2023–2024 budget performance and remittances.
However, Mr Oloyede sent Mufutau Bello, a director, to represent him. Tension rose when Mr Bello refused to proceed with his presentation, citing the presence of journalists in the room and describing the environment as “not conducive.” He claimed the documents he was to present contained confidential financial information that should not be made public.
Lawmakers rejected his request for the journalists to leave, insisting that committee hearings are conducted in the open for accountability and transparency. The disagreement quickly escalated, leading to heated exchanges between the committee and the JAMB delegation.
Visibly angered, Mr Bello accused the lawmakers of attempting to embarrass the board and ordered his team to leave the meeting room. The walkout stunned committee members, who described the officials’ conduct as “disrespectful” and vowed to summon the registrar again for an explanation.
Reps confirm new service chiefs
The House confirmed the appointments of Nigeria’s new service chiefs after adopting the report of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Screening of Nominees for Appointment as Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs, chaired by Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos).
Mr Benson, while presenting the committee’s report, commended the nominees for their professionalism, strategic clarity, and readiness to confront Nigeria’s mounting security challenges. He said the committee was satisfied with their commitment to modernising the military and strengthening inter-agency cooperation.
Following his presentation, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session, put each recommendation to a voice vote, and the House adopted them unanimously.
APC gains as six lawmakers dump PDP, LP
The House witnessed another round of political realignment on Thursday as six lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors are Daniel Ago (LP, Plateau) and five lawmakers from Enugu State – Chidi Obetta, Anayo Onwuegbu, Dennis Agbo, Martins George, and Nnaji Nnolim.
Announcing their defection on the floor of the House, the lawmakers cited internal crises and irreconcilable differences within their former parties. They described their move as a “strategic political decision” to align with the APC’s development vision and ensure better representation for their constituencies.
Shortly after the announcement, the Enugu caucus held a press briefing, where they defended their action as a “bold step into the future.” Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Nnolim said the decision was also influenced by their desire to support Governor Peter Mbah’s leadership style and reposition Enugu for national relevance.
Their defection further strengthens the APC’s numerical advantage in the House, signalling the ruling party’s growing dominance ahead of the next political cycle.
Nigeria nears diaspora voting
On Monday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, announced that the federal government is advancing plans to introduce a Diaspora Voting Bill, which will allow Nigerians living abroad to participate in national elections.
He disclosed this while declaring open the First Nigerian Stakeholders’ Engagement on Diaspora Governance (NiSEDiG 2025) and launching the Nigerians in Diaspora Response (NiDRes) App and Website in Abuja.
Mr Tajudeen, represented by Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom), said the initiative marks a major step towards inclusive governance and expanding democratic participation. He noted that the measure aligns with global democratic practices and the 10th House’s legislative agenda on inclusion and accountability.
