They accused the House spokesman of abandoning that oversight role in favour of defending the Executive, despite what they described as repeated failures by the government to fulfil commitments made to Nigerians through Parliament.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has demanded a public apology from the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, accusing him of misrepresenting the position of the House and speaking without authorisation on issues raised by opposition lawmakers concerning insecurity and economic hardship in the country.
The caucus warned that failure by the House spokesman to tender the apology within 72 hours would force it to petition the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges for appropriate sanctions.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its spokesman, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, the Minority Caucus described as unconstitutional and procedurally improper a statement in which the House spokesman purportedly spoke on behalf of the entire House in response to concerns earlier raised by opposition lawmakers.
The caucus said Parliament has a constitutional responsibility to hold the Executive accountable and must not be seen as defending government actions at the expense of Nigerians.
“The legislature is not, and will never be, a lapdog of the Executive,” the caucus declared.
According to the statement, the House spokesman exceeded his mandate by deploying the phrase “House Notes” in his response, thereby creating the impression that the position expressed had been adopted by the entire House of Representatives.
The caucus maintained that no sitting, meeting or resolution of the House took place after it addressed a press conference on June 17, 2026, to warrant such a collective position.
It noted that the last sitting of the House was held on June 15, 2026, insisting that the spokesman lacked the authority to speak for all members.
“While the House Spokesman is at liberty to speak for the Speaker, the House Leadership, or the Majority Caucus, he possesses no mandate to purport to speak for the entire House or to misappropriate the views of the Minority Caucus,” the statement said.
The opposition lawmakers argued that the issues they raised regarding worsening insecurity and economic hardship fall squarely within the constitutional oversight functions of the National Assembly.
They accused the House spokesman of abandoning that oversight role in favour of defending the Executive, despite what they described as repeated failures by the government to fulfil commitments made to Nigerians through Parliament.
The caucus further stated that the spokesman’s conduct reinforces public perception that the 10th House of Representatives has become an appendage of the Executive arm of government.
Citing Sections 14(2)(b) and 88 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the lawmakers stressed that Parliament is mandated to ensure the security and welfare of citizens and expose corruption, inefficiency and waste in public institutions.
The Minority Caucus disclosed that at an emergency virtual meeting held on June 19, 2026, members unanimously resolved to demand a public apology from the House spokesman for what they termed misrepresentation of the House and contempt of the caucus.
It warned that failure to comply within 72 hours would leave it with no option but to seek redress through the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
The caucus also resolved to formally raise, upon resumption of plenary, the issue of what it described as persistent non-implementation of the national budget since 2024.
According to the lawmakers, defence and security-related Ministries, Departments and Agencies have recorded less than 30 per cent budget implementation, a development they said is contributing to the country’s worsening security challenges.
They argued that non-payment of contractors and inadequate operational logistics resulting from poor budget implementation have weakened efforts to combat insurgency and other security threats.
“There is a direct correlation between the non-payment of local contractors, breakdowns of operational logistics and escalating insecurity across the country. The Armed Forces cannot sustainably prosecute campaigns against heavily armed insurgents under such fiscal constraints,” the caucus stated.
Reaffirming its commitment to holding the government accountable, the Minority Caucus said it would continue to speak on behalf of Nigerians irrespective of political pressure.
According to the caucus, speaking out on issues affecting citizens is not an act of partisanship but a constitutional duty that Parliament must uphold in order to preserve democratic governance and the principle of checks and balances.