A plenary session of the House of Representatives turned tense on Wednesday after lawmakers clashed over a proposal to invite President Bola Tinubu to explain the poor implementation of the 2025 budget and delays in releasing funds to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The controversy began when Benedict Etanabene, representing the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State, raised the issue under a matter of personal explanation. He urged the House to invite the President to account for the slow implementation of projects despite the National Assembly approving trillions of naira in the budget.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, however, ruled that the matter could not be debated because it was presented under a personal explanation, which is not meant for legislative debate. His decision sparked protests from some lawmakers and briefly disrupted proceedings.
The issue resurfaced shortly afterwards when Alex Ikwechegh, representing Aba North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State, introduced it as a motion of urgent public importance, allowing the House to debate the matter.
While presenting the motion, Ikwechegh argued that although the National Assembly approves budgets, many MDAs have reported receiving little or no capital funding despite allocations being made. He said this had stalled several government projects and contributed to the financial difficulties faced by contractors.
The lawmaker recalled that the Federal Government had previously announced plans to clear verified contractor debts running into trillions of naira. Despite those assurances, he said many contractors were still awaiting payment, leading to abandoned projects, business losses and economic hardship.
He also criticised a recent directive requiring contractors to obtain additional verification certificates before payment, describing it as another bureaucratic obstacle that could further delay the settlement of outstanding obligations.
During his presentation, Ikwechegh appealed to lawmakers to invite President Tinubu to personally explain why approved budget allocations had not translated into improved infrastructure and security across the country.
The proposal generated heated reactions on the floor of the House.
Amobi Ogah, representing Abia State, suggested postponing the House Open Week programme so lawmakers could focus on addressing the budget implementation challenges.
However, Yusuf Gagdi opposed the idea of summoning the President, arguing that parliamentary oversight should first focus on ministers and government officials directly responsible for implementing the budget.
His remarks triggered loud protests from several lawmakers, resulting in another rowdy session before Speaker Tajudeen intervened to restore order.
After deliberations, the House adopted the substantive motion and referred the matter to an ad hoc committee for further legislative action. However, the Speaker clarified that the approved motion did not include any resolution to invite President Tinubu.
Ikwechegh insisted that his intention was to have the President appear before the House, but Tajudeen ruled that only the contents of the officially submitted written motion could be considered.
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu supported the Speaker’s position, explaining that although the lawmaker mentioned inviting the President during his presentation, the proposal was not contained in the official document debated and adopted by the House.
Concluding the session, Speaker Tajudeen cautioned lawmakers against departing from the contents of officially submitted motions, describing such actions as contrary to parliamentary procedures and established legislative practice.
