Insecurity Crisis: Lawmakers Demand Emergency National Assembly Session Over State Police, Budgets

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 Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, to immediately reconvene the National Assembly for an emergency session.

The lawmakers said the proposed sitting should address concerns over the alleged under-implementation of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Acts, the controversy surrounding the State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill, alleged off-budget expenditure, delays in releasing capital funds to security agencies and the worsening insecurity across the country.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on Friday and jointly signed by Awaji-Inombek Abiante of Rivers State, Abubakar Kusada of Katsina State and Mansur Jega of Kebbi State on behalf of other members of the group.

The lawmakers stressed that the Save Nigeria Group was neither an opposition platform nor acting on behalf of any political interest. Rather, they said, the group was concerned about what it described as increasing disregard for constitutional procedures and the weakening of public institutions.

According to them, continued silence in the face of what they described as repeated constitutional and institutional failures could no longer be justified.

The group raised concerns over what it called a growing pattern of treating constitutional procedures as optional.

It recalled the National Assembly’s approval of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State in March 2025, alleging that voice votes were used despite the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds majority in each chamber.

The lawmakers also questioned the procedure reportedly adopted by the House during the passage of the Executive State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill on July 23, 2026.

“The Speaker announced that 311 members had voted in support of the Bill, thereby exceeding the constitutional threshold of 240 affirmative votes.

“However, some of us were physically present throughout the proceedings and can state categorically that at no time that day were as many as 240 members in the Chamber, particularly when the Bill was considered,” they said.

They further alleged that votes sent through WhatsApp by lawmakers who were absent may have been included in the figure announced by the Speaker.

“The Constitution cannot be altered by presumption, improvisation or undisclosed voting arrangements.

“Democracy is endangered when a state of emergency can be approved through an unverifiable voice vote and the Constitution can purportedly be altered through WhatsApp messages,” the lawmakers argued.

Although they said they were not opposed to the establishment of state police, the lawmakers stressed that any constitutional amendment must follow the procedure prescribed by law.

“State Police may be desirable, but a desirable reform must still be established through a lawful process,” they added.

Group Faults Budget Implementation

The lawmakers also criticised what they described as persistent under-implementation of federal budgets between 2024 and 2026.

They expressed concern over repeated extensions, rollovers and delays in the release of capital funds, arguing that the situation had created uncertainty around fiscal accountability.

According to the group, the Federal Government indicated in 2025 that only about 30 per cent of the capital budget would be funded, with approximately 70 per cent carried over into 2026.

They argued that such a pattern could no longer simply be dismissed as an administrative delay.

The lawmakers cited Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, who reportedly described failure to implement an Appropriation Act as a breach of law capable of constituting an “impeachable offence.”

“We agree with Senator Monguno that the deliberate or persistent refusal to implement duly enacted Appropriation Acts raises grave constitutional questions.

“Repeated rollovers weaken parliamentary oversight, confuse fiscal accountability and make it almost impossible for Nigerians to determine which projects belong to which financial year,” they said.

The group called for comprehensive implementation reports on the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets.

It also demanded full disclosure of capital releases to ministries, departments and agencies, alongside a reconciliation of government revenue and expenditure authorised by the National Assembly.

The lawmakers further called for an explanation over the alleged failure to release appropriated capital funds and urged the National Assembly to conduct a joint investigation into persistent budget under-implementation.

They also asked the legislature to consider constitutional measures if deliberate or unjustifiable refusal to implement approved budgets was established.

“The Appropriation Act is law, and the Federal Government cannot choose which laws to obey,” they said.

Lawmakers Seek Probe Into Alleged Off-Budget Spending

The group also called for a detailed investigation into allegations of public expenditure that was not properly reflected in official budgets.

While stressing that claims of financial misappropriation must be established through investigation and due process, the lawmakers argued that available reports warranted legislative scrutiny and a forensic audit.

They cited a reported International Monetary Fund assessment in July 2026 which allegedly indicated that public expenditure equivalent to about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had not been reflected in recent official budgets.

The lawmakers estimated the amount at approximately ₦8.83 trillion.

They argued that the alleged expenditure should not be dismissed through general denials by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

“Public funds cannot lawfully be spent outside duly enacted Appropriation Acts, concealed under opaque accounting classifications or omitted from fiscal information presented to the National Assembly and the Nigerian people,” they said.

“This administration cannot demand sacrifice from Nigerians while public expenditure remains opaque. Every naira spent by the government belongs to the Nigerian people.”

They consequently called for an independent forensic audit of all reported off-budget expenditure.

Security Funding Under Scrutiny

On insecurity, the lawmakers said the government’s foremost responsibility was to protect lives and property, but noted that Nigerians continued to face killings, kidnappings and displacement caused by terrorists, bandits and other violent groups.

They expressed particular concern over reports that some security agencies had yet to receive their appropriated capital funds despite the worsening security situation.

The lawmakers cited figures which they said showed that approximately ₦20.27 billion, representing almost the entire allocation for the Presidential Air Fleet, had been released, while only a fraction of the Nigerian Army’s capital allocation for security equipment had reportedly been made available.

“The question is not whether the Presidential Air Fleet should be maintained,” they said.

“The question is why the comfort and mobility of public officials should receive more predictable funding than the equipment, logistics, operational vehicles, aircraft maintenance and protective resources required by personnel confronting terrorists and bandits.”

They therefore called for the immediate release of duly appropriated capital funds to the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, intelligence agencies and other security institutions.

Bishops, Shari’ah Council Commended

The lawmakers also commended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria for speaking out on insecurity, economic hardship, democratic concerns and fears over possible one-party dominance.

They said the bishops had demonstrated that patriotism sometimes required confronting those in power with difficult truths.

The group also praised the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria for calling for caution, broader consultation and national consensus on the proposed establishment of state police.

The lawmakers argued that the current national situation made it inappropriate for the legislature to remain away from plenary while major constitutional, economic and security issues remained unresolved.

“We call upon the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to reconvene both Chambers immediately for an emergency session,” they said.

According to the lawmakers, the session should address “chronic under-implementation of the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets; the constitutional controversy surrounding the State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill; allegations of off-budget expenditure; non-release of capital funds to security agencies; the deteriorating security situation; and measures required to restore public confidence in the rule of law and democratic governance.”

The group maintained that the National Assembly’s role extends beyond approving executive bills and presidential requests.

It said the legislature has a constitutional responsibility to represent Nigerians, defend the Constitution, appropriate public funds, conduct oversight and hold the executive accountable.

The lawmakers said they supported necessary reforms and legitimate public expenditure but would oppose “unconstitutional procedures, legislative shortcuts, unimplemented budgets, opaque expenditure and the continuing failure to protect the Nigerian people.”