Wants Tinubu to suspend 2027 political activities, declare six-month national security and economic recovery plan
Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has accused the Federal Government of deliberately pushing Nigeria “to the brink” by placing 2027 electioneering above the security and welfare of citizens.
Addressing a press conference at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on Wednesday, Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Fred Agbedi, said the country was facing deepening insecurity, economic hardship and political uncertainty while the ruling party remained focused on re-election plans.
“Nigeria is bleeding. Nigeria is confused. And Nigeria is being deliberately pushed to the brink by a government that has elevated 2027 electioneering above the lives and welfare of citizens,” Agbedi said.
The caucus expressed concern over the worsening security situation, citing the murder of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar while in terrorist captivity in Katsina State.
According to the lawmakers, the killing of the former military officer was “a grave indictment of a failed state” and “a national embarrassment.”
“That a General of the Nigerian Army, who once commanded troops and defended this nation, could be kidnapped alongside his wife and later declared dead under unclear circumstances is a grave indictment of a failed state,” Agbedi stated.
The caucus further lamented that insecurity had become widespread, noting that traditional rulers, monarchs and ordinary citizens had become targets of bandits.
“Our security is in the mud. Yet, the political class is busy rehearsing new political dance steps, seemingly unbothered,” he said.
The lawmakers also raised alarm over the continued captivity of school children and teachers abducted in Oyo State, describing it as evidence of the government’s failure to tackle insecurity.
“As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria,” Agbedi said.
“This is, indeed, the new normal under this administration: mass abductions without consequences, terrorists dictating terms, and a government that issues statements instead of results.”
The Minority Caucus equally accused the government of focusing on politics while Nigerians grapple with hunger, killings and economic hardship.
“From Sokoto to Enugu, from Borno to Lagos, the story is the same: hunger, killings, kidnappings, collapse of the naira, collapse of hope,” the caucus said.
“Yet what preoccupies the ruling party and the Presidency is 2027. Endorsement rallies. Defections. Re-election strategies. Town hall meetings to discuss tenure security.”
On the political front, the caucus alleged that recent judicial actions targeting opposition parties were part of a broader effort to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
It described a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of five opposition political parties as “a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponized to destabilize the polity.”
The caucus said it viewed the ruling as “a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency.”
According to Agbedi, “the whole goal has been: muscle all credible opposition out of the 2027 contest.”
The lawmakers urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene in the conflicting judgments on party registration and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist attempts to undermine democracy.
Among other demands, the caucus called for an immediate overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, a special military operation within 72 hours to rescue the abducted Oyo school children and their teachers, and a transparent investigation into the abduction and murder of General Rabe.
It also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend all 2027 political activities and declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan.
“Lead or leave,” the caucus stated.
The Minority Caucus accused the government of neglecting governance while pursuing political interests.
“The attempt to kill opposition parties through judicial ambush, to ignore mass killings while chasing second term and to normalize the abduction of children is a declaration of war against Nigerians,” Agbedi said.
The caucus vowed not to remain silent, insisting that it would use “every legislative instrument” available to hold the government accountable.
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