The House of Representatives has rejected a motion seeking to invite President Bola Tinubu to appear before the chamber to explain the reported delays in the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act.
The proposal, raised through a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Mr. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh during Tuesday’s plenary, sparked extensive debate among lawmakers before it was voted down.
The motion highlighted concerns over the alleged underfunding of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and delays in the release of funds approved under the 2025 Appropriation Act.
Leading the debate on the motion, Mr. Ikwechegh said disclosures by ministers and heads of MDAs during the ongoing 2026 budget defence sessions painted a worrying picture of poor budget implementation.
He pointed out that many agencies received little or no capital releases throughout the 2025 fiscal year, leaving critical projects abandoned across the country.
He also highlighted the plight of indigenous contractors, many of whom, he said, have been left on the verge of collapse after executing government contracts without payment.
The lawmaker said that President Tinubu had, during a Federal Executive Council meeting in December 2025, directed the immediate settlement of verified contractor debts estimated at about N1.5 trillion.
However, he argued that despite the directive, approvals by the legislature and repeated assurances from the Ministry of Finance, many MDAs were yet to receive the funds required to meet their obligations.
He further expressed concern over a Treasury circular reportedly issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on 29 June 2026, suspending payments for zonal intervention and constituency projects pending verification by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
While urging the House to commend the President for directing the payment of verified contractor liabilities, he also called for the immediate implementation of that directive.
The atmosphere in the chamber, however, changed when the lawmaker proposed that President Tinubu be invited to address lawmakers over the continued delays.
“We want to use this opportunity to invite the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to this very hallowed chamber to come and explain to the Nigerian people why projects are not being implemented despite trillions of naira appropriated,” Ikwechegh said.
While some lawmakers backed the move, others argued that under the Constitution, the National Assembly should instead summon Ministers and Heads of Agencies who are directly responsible for implementing the budget.
The debate continued after Mr. Godwin Oga Amobi proposed an amendment to postpone the House’s planned Open Week, saying “it would enable lawmakers to focus on issues surrounding the implementation of the 2025 budget.”
The amendment was seconded by Sani Lawan.
The discussion continued as Mr. Yusuf Gagdi opposed the proposal to invite the President, maintaining that ministers and heads of government agencies, rather than the President, should be held accountable before the National Assembly for budget implementation.
He also urged the Speaker to divide the motion for lawmakers to vote separately on the contentious proposal to invite the President and the other resolutions contained in the motion.
Speaker Abbas ruled that the motion submitted by Mr. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh did not include any prayer seeking to invite President Bola Tinubu to appear before the House.
According to him, “this act was against the House Rule 2023”.
When put to a vote the House moved that the President should not appear.
