T he Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives yesterday called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to either refocus governance on tackling national security challenges and economic hardship or step aside, warning that Nigeria is facing what it described as deepening insecurity, judicial controversy, and democratic backsliding ahead of the 2027 elections.
The lawmakers also called on the president to suspend political activities for his reelection and squarely address the rising security challenges and economic problems facing the country.
Minority Leader of the House, Fred Agbedi, made the call during a press conference by opposition lawmakers at the National Assembly, Abuja, where they accused the administration of prioritising politics over urgent national challenges.
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Daily Trust reports that the call by the opposition lawmakers is coming on the heels of the escalating security challenges across the country including the recent mass abductions of Borno and Oyo schoolchildren who are still in captivity; the kidnapping of pupils in Kogi and the death of a former military spokesperson, Major-General Abubakar Rabe (Retd) in kidnappers’ den, among others.
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Communities across states such as Plateau, Kwara, Niger, Benue, Sokoto and Zamfara had witnessed attacks and killings by bandits leading to displacements of hundreds of residents.
On Tuesday, Nigeria’s top Muslim and Catholic leaders expressed concern over the country’s security situation, jointly urging the federal government to take urgent steps to curb persistent killings, kidnappings and other violent crimes.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), made the calls in separate statements and public remarks.
The opposition lawmakers, while adding their voice to the country’s growing security challenges, stressed that Nigeria was “at the brink”, calling on the president to take swift measures to address the situation.
“President Tinubu must suspend all 2027 political activities and declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan. Lead or leave. 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 while presenting the position of the caucus.
The caucus insisted that governance had taken a back seat to political calculations and particularly condemned the recent death of the retired General, who was abducted with his wife along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, describing it as a national disgrace and evidence of worsening insecurity.
“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 said.
He warned that the incident had further eroded public confidence in the state’s ability to protect citizens.
“If a General is not safe within the borders of our nation, then who truly is?” he asked.
The caucus also criticised what it called a lack of a clear counter-insurgency strategy, arguing that bandit groups were now operating with increasing boldness across several regions.
“Our security is in the mud. Yet, the political class is busy rehearsing new political dance steps, seemingly unbothered,” Agbedi added.
The Minority Caucus also raised concerns over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, describing the situation as a collapse of state responsibility.
“As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria,” Agbedi said.
He described the situation as “the normalisation of evil,” adding that government responses had been inadequate.
“This is the new normal under this administration: mass abductions without consequences, terrorists dictating terms, and a government that issues statements instead of results,” he said.
The lawmakers demanded urgent actions, insisting that “each hour these children spend with terrorists is an hour stolen from Nigeria’s future.”
From left: Member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency, Sokoto State, Abdussamad Dasuki; Minority Leader and member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency, Bayelsa State, Frederick Agbedi; member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Anambra State, Afam Victor Ogene and member representing Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency, Bauchi State, Mansur Manu Soro addressing the press at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday Photo: Musa Luka Musa
‘Deregistration ruling an attempt to weaken opposition’
The caucus also reacted to a recent Federal High Court judgment involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that it was part of a broader attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 polls.
“This judgment… appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponised to destabilise the polity,” Agbedi said.
He further alleged that the ruling was politically motivated, describing it as “rascality taken too far” and “a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency.”
“We cannot stand aloof and watch Nigerians being kidnapped and killed daily while the system is busy manufacturing political confusion,” he added.
The caucus called on the judiciary and INEC to safeguard democratic processes, warning against actions that could undermine political pluralism.
The lawmakers also decried worsening economic conditions, citing inflation, insecurity and rising poverty across the country.
“From Sokoto to Enugu, from Borno to Lagos, the story is the same: hunger, killings, kidnappings, collapse of the naira, collapse of hope,” Agbedi said.
He accused the political leadership under the current administration of focusing on election preparations instead of governance.
“What preoccupies the ruling party and the Presidency is 2027; endorsement rallies, defections, re-election strategies,” he said.
The Minority Caucus called for an overhaul of the national security architecture, a coordinated rescue operation for abducted Oyo school children, and an investigation into the killing of General Rabe.
It also sought the intervention of the Chief Justice of Nigeria in conflicting court rulings involving political parties.
“We will not accept a 2027 election rigged before it begins,” Agbedi warned.
The lawmakers further demanded that President Tinubu suspend political activities and focus on governance.
The caucus insisted it would continue to hold the government accountable through legislative means.
The Reps condemned what they termed a move to use the courts to asphyxiate the opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The attempt to kill opposition parties through judicial ambush, to ignore mass killings while chasing a second term, and to normalise the abduction of children is a declaration of war against Nigerians,” Agbedi said.
“Earlier this week, in a move that reeks of political mischief, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five opposition political parties.
“This judgment, coming only months to the country’s general elections and after a subsisting Appeal Court decision on the same matter, is not intended to serve justice. Instead, it appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponised to destabilise the polity. For us as a Caucus, this is rascality taken too far, and a danger to participatory democracy.
“Let us be clear: We consider Justice Lifu’s judgement as a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 Presidency.
“Indeed, we remain at odds in fathoming whose justice, Justice Lifu is serving, in overlooking INEC’s submission made during the pendency of the case, to the effect that the affected parties had satisfied the requirements of the law by winning elective positions in previous elections.
“Wittingly or unwittingly, by design or not, this latest judicial gambit only adds to the growing list of hurdles which our country’s political parties have had to confront in order to be able to present candidates for the 2027 general elections.
“We wonder, for instance, whether it is by mere happenstance that the convener and alter ego of the plaintiffs in this matter is someone holed up in the sanctuary of the presidential villa as aide to President Tinubu’s chief of staff.
“From external manipulations and executive meddlesomeness that kept old political structures polarised, to the attempt to truncate new alliances through institutional bottlenecks, such as the refusal to register new political parties, and strict guidelines by the electoral umpire, the whole goal has been: muscle all credible opposition out of the 2027 contest.
“To Nigerians: do not despair. 2027 will not be decided in Aso Rock or by courts. It will be decided by you, the people,” he added.
National security must come first, Dangiwa Umar tells Tinubu
Also, a former military governor of Kaduna State, Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd), has urged President Tinubu to prioritise national security, saying it was one of the key ideals that motivated officers who opposed the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
In an open letter to the President, Umar said the officers who risked their lives during the pro-democracy struggle viewed the protection of citizens as the primary responsibility of any government.
He was reacting to Tinubu’s Democracy Day address in which the president acknowledged that Nigeria’s democracy remains a work in progress, particularly in the area of security.
He said, “What thos… [truncated]
This news development was originally reported by our media partner DailyTrust News .
