Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The plenary proceedings in the House of Representatives turned rowdy on Wednesday following the disagreement among lawmakers over a motion seeking to summon President Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency in Delta State, Hon. Benedict Etanabene, at the plenary raised a point of privilege to draw the attention of the House to a June 29 circular issued by the Accountant General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi.
Ogunjimi had through the memo directed all federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to immediately stop processing payments for constituency and Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs) unless they have been formally vetted by the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
The lawmakers had at different times planned a showdown with the executive over the slow implementation of the budget which was stalling the execution of constituency projects.
But the leadership of the House always find ways to quench the anger of the lawmakers.
Checks revealed that since 2025, local contractors had been protesting the debt backlog for projects executed for the Federal Government.
The protesters, under the aegis of the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), blocked the gates of the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly complex to press home their demands.
However, in December 2025, Tinubu set up a multi-ministerial committee to resolve the saga, with outstanding payments at about N1.5 trillion.
In January, the Federal Government said it had commenced disbursing funds to contractors for “verified contracts”.
Displeased by the recent circular issued by Ogunjimi, Etanabene urged the House to summon the president to address lawmakers on the delay in implementing the 2025 budget.
The lawmaker was of the opinion that the circular would further hamper the execution of the Appropriation Act.
Etanabene argued that the issue was not new, recalling that the House had previously invited the accountant-general, ministers and other officials to address budget implementation delays without any meaningful resolution.
He pointed out that lawmakers could no longer explain to their constituents why projects approved in the budget had yet to commence.
His words: “The budgets are not being implemented presently in Nigeria today. We are implementing the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets concurrently. This is not in the best interest of everybody.
“I wish to move the motion that this House invite Mr. President to come in the soonest to brief this House and explain the need for this circular.”
It was at this point that the lawmakers were sharply divided. While some supported the motion, others were against it.
The lawmakers’ inability to reach a compromise on the motion to summon the president threw the green chamber into a rowdy session.
It took the Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, several minutes to restore calm during the plenary.
Abbas explained that the motions raised on a point of privilege are not subject to debate.
Immediately after the Speaker restored calm and normalcy on the floor, Hon. Alex Mascot also moved a motion on urgent public importance, lamenting that security agencies were not being adequately funded.
To this end, he noted that the president should be invited to address the green chamber over the budget implementation fiasco.
This time, however, the lawmakers supported the motion that the president should be summoned.
However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, kicked against the motion.
He argued that it was more appropriate for parliament to invite officials delegated with responsibility for budget implementation.
Gagdi was, however, interrupted by several lawmakers who asked him to sit down.
Subsequently, the Speaker called for a division to allow lawmakers to vote on the motion, but the proposal was rejected.
He referred the motion to an ad hoc committee to be constituted by the House.
After ruling on the matter, Mascot, who moved the motion, raised a point of order that his prayers did not include the constitution of an ad hoc committee.
Abbas described his conduct as “completely unparliamentary” and “an act of dishonour”, adding that the lawmaker departed from the version of the motion submitted before the start of plenary.
“It is a complete deviation from the copy you gave me,” he said.
