The National Assembly will resume sitting on Tuesday, 7 October 2025, after a two-month annual recess that began on 23 July 2025.

Nigerians are looking forward to a vibrant legislative session as lawmakers return to the chambers to address several pressing national issues that have unfolded in recent months.

Insecurity, constitution amendment, supplementary budget and the rift between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with the Senate, among others, are likely issues on the table for discussions.

Lawmakers were initially expected to resume on 23 September 2025, but the date was extended to allow members participate in activities marking the country’s Independence Day anniversary and other official engagements.

Although plenary sittings were suspended during the recess, legislative work continued behind the scenes. Several standing and ad-hoc committees held investigative hearings and engaged stakeholders on pending bills, ensuring that parliamentary activities did not come to a complete halt.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives members will now reconvene to discharge their legislative duties in both the upper and lower chambers.

Constitution Review

The Senate and House of Representatives had conducted Zonal public hearings across the country where they sought inputs from Nigerians regarding the review and amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

Agitations for the creation of new states and local government areas, state police defined constitutional roles for traditional rulers, among others, dominated the space during the public hearings nationwide.

The lawmakers are expected to act on the final report to be presented to state assemblies for their adoption and ratification.

The final draft of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly would require agreement by a two-thirds majority (24 of the 36) state houses of Assembly and presidential assent to be effective.

Recently, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), said “the National Assembly would compile and transmit the report to state assemblies before the end of the year.”

He said “the committee was working towards finalising the harmonised report and meeting its legislative timeline for submission.”

Supplementary budget and 2026 outlook

Fiscal policy is another issue on the horizon. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to send a supplementary budget for 2025 before the year’s end. The increasing expenditure needs, from security operations to palliatives against inflation, make it almost inevitable.

The National Assembly is also expected to press for the 2026 budget to be presented earlier than December to allow proper scrutiny.

Insecurity

The issue of insecurity is another area the Legislature will deliberate on.

Despite the efforts of security personnel, there have been reported attacks in some areas, where innocent citizens have been killed or displaced by the bandits.

Senate/Natasha

Another matter likely to attract attention plenary resumes is the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central).

In a letter signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the Senate acknowledged receiving Natasha’s notice that she planned to resume on September 4, 2025, which she said marked the end of her suspension.

But the Senate explained that her suspension, which began on March 6, 2025, remains valid until the Court of Appeal rules on the case she filed challenging her suspension.

The controversy began when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the Senate, refused to occupy her new seat, saying it was done without her consent and infringed on her privileges as a lawmaker

Restrictions

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly has announced new security restrictions around the complex, especially the office of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, ahead of their legislature’s resumption.

In the memo dated October 2, retired Brigadier-General Etido Ekpo directed that the corridor linking the White House lobby to the Senate President’s office will now be reserved strictly for lawmakers, who are the Senators and members of the House of Representatives.

The memo explicitly stated that aides and personal assistants will no longer be permitted access to the passage.

“You are kindly requested to disseminate this information to distinguished senators who would, in turn, intimate their aides or personal assistants as appropriate,” the notice read.

The memo said the decision was taken in the interest of maintaining a “secure and safe environment” for legislative business within the complex.

The restriction is likely to prompt conversation among staff and legislative aides, many of whom have routine duties that require close access to principal officers and their offices.

The Senate President’s office is typically one of the most heavily guarded areas in the National Assembly.

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Musa Aliyu, has emphasised the Commission’s dedication to enhancing institutional frameworks across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Mr. Aliyu made this statement during the presentation of the First Nigerian Local Government Integrity Index Report by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity in Abuja.

He described the initiative as a timely and valuable tool for improving transparency and accountability at the grassroots level.

The ICPC Chairman noted that “the Commission would analyse the report’s findings and incorporate relevant innovations into its newly launched program, Accountability and Corruption Prevention in Local Governments (ACCP-LG).”

“We will use this Index Report to address issues related to transparency, accountability, and local government finances. Our aim is to strengthen frameworks in local governments to ensure they provide impactful services to the community,” he stated.

Report

The Executive Director of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Mr. Umar Yakubu, presented the report, revealing a significant governance crisis in Nigeria’s local government system. The study found that 85 percent of LGAs are categorized as “Very High” or “Critical” risk, indicating widespread opacity, weak enforcement mechanisms, and inadequate service delivery.

The Index evaluated LGAs based on eight pillars: fiscal transparency, resource Mobilisation, anti-corruption enforcement, post-election governance, civic oversight, public service outcomes, digital infrastructure, and security environment.

Key highlights from the report include:

Systemic Integrity Failures:
Six hundred and fifty-eight LGAs (85%) ranked in Tiers 4 and 5 (“Very High” and “Critical” risk). Only four LGAs (0.5%) were in Tier 1 (“Low Risk”), with Nasarawa LGA achieving the highest transparency score of 15/100.

Critical Cases
Port Harcourt LGA in Rivers State scored 92/100 but lacked a functional website and showed instances of FOI denials, poor disclosures, and a history of violence and alleged election manipulation. While most states were categorised as “Very High Risk,” exceptions included Lagos, Jigawa, Nasarawa, and Kaduna.

Recommendations

Mr. Yakubu made several urgent recommendations, including:- “Direct fund allocations from the Nigerian Government to LGAs without state interference.
– Mandatory quarterly transparency audits for high-risk LGAs.
– Adoption of open contracting, asset disclosure frameworks, and digital governance platforms.”

The event highlighted ICPC’s continued collaboration with Civil society organisations and other stakeholders to leverage research and verifiable data in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts and providing credible information to the public.