When the House of Representatives resumes plenary today, Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the green chamber can be anything but tranquil. Beneath the decorum of plenary is simmering tension among legislators who are fast becoming agitated by delays in the execution of constituency projects and what they refer to as “deep inequalities” in the allocation of budgetary provisions.
For most members, the most urgent complaint is the non-payment of contractors who executed their constituency projects as early as 2024. According to the lawmakers, the unpaid projects have put them in embarrassing situations before their constituents, who now accuse them of promising without fulfilling. As the 2027 polls are slowly coming into perspective, some members fear that their political prospects might be endangered if the issue is not resolved.
Lawmakers incensed by the way things have turned out have threatened to take on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and the leadership of the House, which they accuse of abandoning the well-being and political survival of the rank-and-file legislators. Some of them lamented that the issue had been compounded by what they call “lopsided allocation” of resources in which, according to them, some lawmakers received as much as ₦19 billion projects while others received allocations as low as ₦1 billion.
The outrage has been simmering and has triggered discussions of collective action against the presentation of the 2026 budget. The legislators are said to be mulling over delaying debates on the new budget until the executive completes the implementation of the pending 2024 and 2025 budgets. “If the government cannot implement two budgets, why introduce a third one?” a legislator was quoted as saying in frustration.
Other than stalled projects, the matter addresses a more fundamental battle in the House. Political observers observe that such altercations have a tendency to lay bare the delicate balance of power between the lawmakers and the executive. Although Speaker Abbas has hitherto had an accommodative relationship with the Presidency, critics from within the House contend that this has been at the cost of the executive not being held accountable over budget implementation. Some have even gone as far as to predict the issue may spiral into a revolt, with warnings of a potential vote of no confidence in the leadership if the situation is not addressed.
Reacting, Deputy House Spokesman Hon. Philip Agbese has taken to allay fears, explaining that lawmakers do not deal directly with contractors as constituency projects are executed by government agencies. He assured that the House leadership is bent on holistic oversight and is approaching the Ministry of Finance for the payment of monies where such is required.
However, patience is running out for most of the lawmakers. Some members have threatened anonymously that if the government does not ensure payment for jobs done and include at least ₦2 billion allocations for each member in the 2026 budget, the chamber should expect severe disruption.
With a combative membership, pressure from the constituency, and a critical national budget hanging in the balance, today’s resumption of the House could be the start of a rocky stretch of parliamentary politics. The way Speaker Abbas steers the House out of this crisis could end up deciding not just the stability of the House but also the credibility of the legislative–executive tandem to deliver governance.
