Reps members unveil ‘Save Democracy Group’

…urge Akpabio, Abbas to reconvene National Assembly immediately

Members of the House of Representatives drawn from different political parties on Friday, unveiled the Save Democracy Group (SDG), calling on the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately reconvene both chambers to address what they described as mounting constitutional, fiscal, economic and security challenges threatening Nigeria’s democratic stability.

The lawmakers, in a statement titled “Nigeria’s Democracy is Nosediving,” said the National Assembly could not afford to remain on recess while critical national issues requiring urgent legislative intervention continued to worsen across the country. The statement was jointly signed by the group’s Leader, Rep. Awaji-Inombek Dagomie Abiante (NDC-Rivers), Hon. Abubakar Yahaya Kusada (APC-Katsina) and Hon. Mansur Musa Jega (ADC-Kebbi).

Describing the platform as a bipartisan coalition, the lawmakers said the Save Democracy Group was established to defend constitutional governance, legislative independence, accountability and the rule of law. They stressed that their movement was neither an opposition alliance nor a political pressure group but a collective of legislators concerned about what they called the steady erosion of democratic institutions.

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“Our membership cuts across political parties, regions and ideological differences. We are neither an opposition platform nor an instrument of any political interest. We are legislators increasingly alarmed by the direction of Nigeria’s democracy and the growing tendency of public institutions to subordinate the Constitution, due process and the welfare of citizens to political convenience,” the lawmakers stated.

The Save Democracy Group warned that “Nigeria’s democracy is nosediving,” arguing that repeated constitutional violations, worsening insecurity, chronic budget under-implementation, allegations of off-budget expenditure and deepening economic hardship had combined to undermine public confidence in governance. According to them, remaining silent in the face of these developments would amount to abandoning their constitutional responsibilities.

On constitutional compliance, the lawmakers faulted the National Assembly’s approval of the Rivers State emergency proclamation through a voice vote and also questioned the House’s passage of the Executive State Police Constitutional Alteration Bill on July 23, 2026. They alleged that the announced voting figures did not reflect the actual number of lawmakers physically present during the proceedings.

“The Constitution cannot be altered by presumption, improvisation or undisclosed voting arrangements. Democracy is endangered when a state of emergency can be approved through an unverifiable voice vote and the Constitution can purportedly be altered through WhatsApp messages. State Police may be desirable, but a desirable reform must still be established through a lawful process,” the lawmakers declared.

The group also condemned what it described as the recurring failure to fully implement Appropriation Acts, insisting that budgets passed by the National Assembly were binding laws and not optional policy documents. It noted that repeated budget rollovers and delayed capital releases had weakened legislative oversight and undermined fiscal discipline.

Quoting Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, who had reportedly described the non-implementation of Appropriation Acts as conduct capable of constituting an impeachable offence, the lawmakers demanded comprehensive implementation reports for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets, full disclosure of capital releases to ministries, departments and agencies, as well as a joint parliamentary investigation into persistent budget failures.

“An Appropriation Act is law, and the Government cannot choose which laws to obey. We therefore demand comprehensive budget implementation reports, full disclosure of capital releases, reconciliation of revenues against expenditure authorised by the National Assembly, and appropriate constitutional action where deliberate non-implementation is established,” they said.

On allegations of off-budget spending, the lawmakers expressed concern over reports that public expenditure equivalent to about two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, estimated at ₦8.83 trillion, was allegedly omitted from recent official budgets. While stressing that allegations of financial misconduct must be subjected to due process, they insisted the reports warranted immediate legislative scrutiny.

“This administration cannot demand sacrifice from Nigerians while public expenditure remains opaque. Every naira spent by government belongs to the Nigerian people. Budgetary opacity is not merely an accounting problem; it is a threat to constitutional government, public trust and Nigeria’s economic survival. We therefore call for an independent forensic audit of all reported off-budget expenditure,” the statement added.

The lawmakers equally raised concerns over the country’s deteriorating security situation, lamenting that terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups continued to inflict heavy casualties on Nigerians despite increased security spending. They questioned reports indicating that while almost the entire allocation for the Presidential Air Fleet had been released, only a fraction of funds appropriated for military equipment had been made available.

“The question is not whether the Presidential Air Fleet should be maintained. The question is why the comfort and mobility of public officials should receive more predictable funding than the equipment, logistics and operational resources required by personnel confronting terrorists and bandits. We call for the immediate release of duly appropriated capital funds to the Armed Forces, Police and intelligence agencies,” they said.

The group commended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria for what it described as their courage in speaking against insecurity, economic hardship and democratic decline, saying constructive criticism remained an essential ingredient of democratic governance.

Calling for an emergency sitting of the National Assembly, the lawmakers urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to immediately reconvene both chambers to deliberate on the constitutional controversy surrounding the State Police Bill, chronic budget under-implementation, allegations of off-budget expenditure, funding for security agencies and other urgent national matters.

“The National Assembly is not merely an institution for passing Executive Bills and approving requests from the Presidency. It is an independent arm of government constitutionally empowered to represent the people, defend the Constitution, appropriate public funds, conduct oversight and hold the Executive accountable. At moments of national difficulty, Parliament must be present,” the lawmakers declared, adding that, “Nigeria’s democracy must be protected before it is too late.“