By Gift Chapi-Odekina, Abuja
The minority caucus of the House of Representatives has accused the federal government of neglecting governance, worsening insecurity and allegedly undermining opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Minority Leader Hon. Fred Agbedi said Nigeria was facing a dangerous combination of insecurity, economic hardship and what he described as attempts to weaken democratic opposition through the judiciary.
The caucus expressed outrage over the killing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar while in captivity after he was reportedly abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State.
Describing the incident as a national tragedy and evidence of the country’s deteriorating security situation, Agbedi said the murder of the retired military officer underscored the inability of the state to protect its citizens.
“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,” he said.
The caucus noted that the killing came after the deaths of other senior military officers in the fight against insurgency, warning that insecurity had spread across several parts of the country.
According to Agbedi, President Bola Tinubu must provide a clear and effective security strategy to confront banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, which he said continue to threaten lives and communities nationwide.
The lawmakers also expressed concern over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, calling for an urgent military operation to secure their release.
“As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria,” Agbedi stated.
The caucus demanded what it described as a coordinated rescue effort, insisting that every hour spent in captivity endangered the future of the affected children.
On the political front, the Minority Caucus criticised a recent Federal High Court judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five opposition political parties.
The lawmakers alleged that the ruling was capable of creating confusion within the political system and could be interpreted as an attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Agbedi argued that the judgment contradicted an existing Court of Appeal decision and ignored submissions by INEC regarding the electoral performance of the affected parties.
“We consider Justice Lifu’s judgment as a calculated attempt to muscle legitimate opposition out of the race for the 2027 presidency,” he said.
The caucus, however, welcomed the intervention of the Court of Appeal, which it said had halted the implementation of the lower court’s decision.
The lawmakers further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency of focusing on political calculations for 2027 instead of addressing the country’s pressing challenges.
They pointed to rising insecurity, economic hardship, hunger and declining public confidence in governance as issues requiring urgent attention.
“The life of every Nigerian matters. Politics must take the back seat when the nation bleeds. We must secure Nigeria first,” Agbedi said.
Among its demands, the caucus called for an immediate overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, a transparent investigation into the abduction and murder of General Rabe, and urgent intervention by the Chief Justice of Nigeria to address conflicting judicial decisions relating to political party registration.
The lawmakers also urged President Tinubu to suspend all activities linked to the 2027 elections and instead implement a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan aimed at tackling insecurity and economic challenges.
The Minority Caucus vowed to continue holding the government accountable through legislative means, insisting that opposition parties would not be intimidated or excluded from the democratic process ahead of the next general election.
