By Ihechi Enyinnaya
The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has accused the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs of misrepresenting the position of the parliament and acting as a defender of the Executive, insisting that the legislature must not become a “lapdog” of the Presidency.
In a statement signed by Hon. Afam Victor Ogene on behalf of the caucus, the opposition lawmakers expressed concern over comments credited to the House spokesman, who they said purported to speak for the entire House in response to the Minority Caucus’ recent criticisms of worsening insecurity and economic hardship in the country.
The caucus maintained that it is the constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly to hold the Executive accountable and reminded the House spokesman that the principle of presidential responsibility remains unchanged.
“The legislature must never look away when the country bleeds,” the statement said, recalling that the current President had previously declared while in opposition that “the buck stops at the President’s table.”
The Minority Caucus accused the Executive of repeatedly failing to honour commitments made to Nigerians through Parliament, adding that rather than demand accountability, the House spokesman had chosen to defend government actions.
The lawmakers stressed that Parliament “is not, and will never be, a lapdog of the Executive,” warning against what they described as blind partisanship that undermines the doctrine of checks and balances essential to democratic governance.
The caucus also faulted the House spokesman for using the phrase “House Notes” in his statement, describing it as procedurally improper and misleading.
According to the lawmakers, the last sitting of the House was held on June 15, while the Minority Caucus addressed the media on June 17, noting that no subsequent plenary, meeting or resolution had authorised any collective position by the House on the matter.
They argued that while the spokesman could legitimately speak for the Speaker, House leadership or the Majority Caucus, he lacked the authority to speak on behalf of the entire House or appropriate the views of the Minority Caucus.
The opposition lawmakers further stated that issues relating to insecurity and economic hardship fall squarely within the constitutional oversight functions of the National Assembly and that defending the Executive was not part of the spokesman’s responsibilities.
They warned that such actions reinforce public perceptions 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, the caucus reiterated that Parliament has a constitutional obligation to promote the security and welfare of citizens and expose corruption, inefficiency and waste.
At an emergency virtual meeting held on Friday, June 19, the caucus unanimously resolved to demand a public apology from the House spokesman within 72 hours for what it described as misrepresenting the position of the House and showing contempt for the Minority Caucus.
It warned that failure to comply would compel it to petition the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges for appropriate sanctions.
The caucus also announced plans to raise, upon the resumption of plenary, the issue of persistent non-implementation of the national budget since 2024.
It expressed concern that defence and security-related Ministries, Departments and Agencies had recorded less than 30 per cent budget implementation, linking the situation to delayed payments to contractors, operational challenges and worsening insecurity across the country.
According to the caucus, the Armed Forces cannot sustainably prosecute campaigns against heavily armed insurgents under existing fiscal constraints.
The Minority Caucus vowed to continue speaking out on issues affecting Nigerians, insisting that doing so was a constitutional obligation rather than an act of partisanship.
“The legislature is the soul of democracy because of its sacred responsibility to the people,” the statement added. “If the Majority Caucus chooses to forget this, the Minority Caucus will not abdicate this sacred responsibility.”