The House of Representatives has ordered an investigation into allegations that the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Sulaiman, engaged in partisan political activities while occupying a public office expected to remain politically neutral.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved during Thursday’s plenary by Salisu Yusuf, a lawmaker from Katsina State, and 12 other members.
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In the motion, the lawmakers expressed concern over reports that Mr Sulaiman participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kwara State while remaining head of the National Assembly’s legislative think tank.
Presenting the motion, Mr Yusuf told the lawmakers that publicly available records showed that the NILDS DG purchased nomination forms, underwent the party’s screening process and contested in the APC governorship primary election.
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According to him, “Evidence already in the public domain showed that the NILDS boss purchased nomination forms, underwent screening and contested in the primary election, where he reportedly secured 1,722 votes.”
The lawmaker said the development has raised questions about compliance with public service rules and the neutrality expected of officials heading strategic government institutions.
He noted that NILDS was established as a non-partisan institution responsible for providing research, policy support, legislative drafting assistance and capacity-building programmes for the National Assembly and other democratic institutions.
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Mr Yusuf also informed the House that the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners had submitted a petition accusing the NILDS boss of abuse of office and non-compliance with laws regulating the conduct of public officials.
The petition, he said, alleges that Mr Sulaiman remained in office while actively pursuing an elective political position.
The lawmaker further said that, “if proven, would amount to a violation of provisions regulating the conduct of public servants seeking elective political office.”
He cited provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, as well as a presidential directive requiring political appointees and public officials who intend to contest elections to resign their appointments on or before 31 March.
The presidential directive was intended to ensure compliance with public service rules and prevent public officials from using government positions and resources to pursue partisan political ambitions.
However, a day before the APC governorship primary election in Kwara State, Mr Sulaiman announced his withdrawal from the race.
In a statement issued at the time, the NILDS DG said he decided to step down in the interest of peace, unity and the progress of Kwara State.
Despite his withdrawal from the contest, sponsors of the motion argued that concerns remained over his participation in the political process while still serving as head of a public institution expected to maintain political neutrality.
According to the sponsors of the motion, failure to address the matter could undermine discipline within the public service and weaken public confidence in institutions expected to operate above partisan interests.
They warned that permitting senior public officials to participate openly in party primaries while retaining their positions could create an unhealthy precedent for agencies under the National Assembly and across government.
Following the presentation of the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Legislative Library, Research and Documentation to investigate the allegations and report its findings within one week.
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The motion was subsequently adopted by voice vote, presided over by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen.
The probe comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, as several public officeholders across the country are reportedly positioning themselves for elective offices.
As Director-General of NILDS, Mr Sulaiman heads an institution established to strengthen legislative practice, democratic governance and public policy development through research, training and technical support for lawmakers.
Given its mandate, NILDS is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s key non-partisan institutions supporting democratic governance, making the allegations particularly significant for the National Assembly and the wider public service.
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