The House of Representatives abruptly shut down plenary on Tuesday in a dramatic display of mounting tensions between lawmakers and the Presidency over budget funding, leaving President Bola Tinubu’s crucial N1.15 trillion loan request in limbo.
Proceedings ground to a halt without a single item on the day’s Order Paper being considered, following a heated closed-door session where lawmakers expressed fury over the executive’s failure to release funds for constituency projects and their own growing financial distress.
The atmosphere turned visibly tense when lawmakers emerged from their private meeting. The scene deteriorated further as Honourable Ifeanyi Uzokwe repeatedly sought recognition to speak, only to be ignored by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who instead proceeded with routine announcements before a sudden motion for adjournment was passed.
The underlying crisis had been brewing for days. President Tinubu had formally requested approval for a N1.15 trillion domestic borrowing programme to fund the 2025 budget deficit, a request the Presidency had expected the House to rubber-stamp on Tuesday.
However, this expectation collided with the grim reality outlined by lawmakers. In a brutally candid message circulated among representatives before plenary, Honourable Ismaila Dabo from Bauchi State revealed the depth of the institution’s financial crisis.
“Most members cannot afford to pay their rents,” Dabo wrote. “Many members are unable to travel to their constituencies, and several members are facing serious challenges with their banks due to defaults in loan repayments.” He added that local moneylenders are now pursuing lawmakers over unpaid debts, reducing them to “beggars in town.”
This personal financial distress merged with broader institutional concerns. Lawmakers were particularly aggrieved that the one-week ultimatum they issued last week to the Finance Minister and Accountant-General to clear debts owed to indigenous contractors had been ignored.
The tension represents a significant escalation in the ongoing power dynamic between the legislature and executive. While the National Assembly had increased the 2026 budget from the executive’s proposal of N49.74 trillion to N59.99 trillion, lawmakers now find themselves unable to secure funding for their own constituency projects or manage their basic parliamentary functions.
During the closed-door session, Speaker Abbas attempted to defend the leadership’s handling of the House’s increased budget, now standing at approximately N360 billion. He detailed through the House Services Committee Chairman that allocations had been used for capital projects like car parks and the National Assembly hospital.
However, this explanation failed to satisfy members, with some privately questioning expenditures on items like standing fans and dustbins while they struggle financially.
A lawmaker from the North-Central, speaking anonymously, revealed that while President Tinubu had given assurances to fund the remaining 2024 budget and 50% of the 2025 budget during a meeting with the Speaker, he also pleaded financial constraints, noting that revenue increases were being consumed by debt servicing.
The House is set to reconvene today to resume legislative business, with all eyes on whether the loan request will finally be considered or if lawmakers will maintain their defiant stance, potentially triggering a broader constitutional confrontation over government spending and legislative independence.
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