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The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives on Wednesday delivered a blistering assessment of the state of the nation, accusing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to address worsening insecurity, economic hardship and threats to democratic institutions while focusing prematurely on the politics of the 2027 general elections.
Addressing journalists at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Fred Agbedi, painted a grim picture of a country grappling with widespread insecurity, rising poverty and growing public disillusionment.
“Nigeria is bleeding. Nigeria is confused. And Nigeria is being deliberately pushed to the brink by a government that has elevated 2027 electioneering above the lives and welfare of citizens,” Agbedi declared.
The caucus said it convened the press conference “with a heavy heart but with unshaken resolve to speak truth to power,” insisting that silence in the face of the country’s mounting challenges would amount to complicity.
A significant portion of the briefing focused on the recent killing of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, who was reportedly abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State before his death in captivity.
The lawmakers described the incident as a national tragedy and a stark reflection of the country’s deteriorating security environment.
“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. It is a national embarrassment,” Agbedi said.
The caucus noted that the retired officer’s death came against the backdrop of repeated attacks on security personnel and communities across the country, arguing that insecurity had continued to spread despite assurances from government officials.
“If a General is not safe within the borders of our nation, then who truly is?” the Minority Leader asked.
He further lamented the vulnerability of traditional rulers and community leaders who have increasingly become targets of kidnappers and bandits operating across different parts of the country.
“Our security is in the mud. Yet, the political class is busy rehearsing new political dance steps, seemingly unbothered,” he added.
The caucus called on President Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to urgently articulate a comprehensive strategy to tackle the country’s security challenges.
“At a period in our nation’s long-drawn battle with these insurgents, victory was close by, especially with the presence of mercenaries in the frontlines. Today, no one is sure what the strategy, if any, is,” Agbedi said.
The lawmakers also expressed concern over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State, describing the development as another indication of the failure of the state to guarantee the safety of its citizens.
“As we speak, school children and their teachers abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity. Their crime? Going to school in Nigeria,” the Minority Leader stated.
He urged security agencies to undertake what he described as an immediate and coordinated rescue operation, stressing that every moment spent in captivity endangered the lives and future of the victims.
The caucus further turned its attention to recent developments within the judiciary, particularly a Federal High Court judgment ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister five opposition political parties.
According to Agbedi, the ruling raised serious concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democracy and appeared designed to weaken opposition forces ahead of the next general elections.
“This judgment, coming only months to the country’s general elections and after a subsisting Appeal Court decision on the same matter, is not intended to serve justice. Instead, it appears to be a deliberate ploy to engender judicial chaos weaponized to destabilize the polity,” he said.
The Minority Leader described the judgment as “rascality taken too far,” arguing that it represented a dangerous precedent capable of undermining political pluralism and democratic participation.
He questioned why the court disregarded submissions reportedly made by INEC indicating that the affected parties had met legal requirements by winning elective positions in previous elections.
The caucus alleged that opposition parties had faced increasing institutional obstacles in recent years, including delays in the registration of new political parties and what it described as attempts to frustrate emerging political alliances.
“From external manipulations and executive meddlesomeness that kept old political structures polarized, to the attempt to truncate new alliances through institutional bottlenecks, such as the refusal to register new political parties, the whole goal has been to muscle all credible opposition out of the 2027 contest,” Agbedi alleged.
While welcoming the Court of Appeal’s intervention in halting the implementation of the Federal High Court judgment, the caucus urged stakeholders committed to democratic governance to remain vigilant against future attempts to undermine the electoral process.
Beyond security and politics, the lawmakers painted a bleak picture of economic conditions across the country, citing rising living costs, persistent inflation and declining purchasing power among ordinary Nigerians.
“From Sokoto to Enugu, from Borno to Lagos, the story is the same: hunger, killings, kidnappings, collapse of the naira, collapse of hope,” Agbedi said.
The Minority Caucus accused the ruling party of prioritising endorsement rallies, defections and political calculations over the urgent task of governance.
“Yet what preoccupies the ruling party and the Presidency is 2027. Endorsement rallies. Defections. Re-election strategies. Town hall meetings to discuss tenure security,” he said.
On governance, the caucus challenged President Tinubu to suspend political activities linked to the 2027 elections and instead concentrate on what it described as an urgent national recovery effort.
“President Tinubu must suspend all 2027 political activities and declare a six-month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan. Lead or leave,” Agbedi said.
To address the country’s challenges, the caucus called for an immediate overhaul of the national security architecture, improved welfare for frontline security personnel, increased investment in intelligence gathering and a transparent investigation into the abduction and killing of retired Major General Abubakar.
The lawmakers also demanded urgent action to secure the release of the abducted Oyo schoolchildren and their teachers.
On the judiciary and electoral process, they urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene in the controversy surrounding conflicting court decisions on political party registration, while calling on INEC to resist any attempt to undermine democratic competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a strongly worded conclusion, the Minority Caucus warned against what it described as efforts to weaken opposition voices through judicial and institutional means.
“The attempt to kill opposition parties through judicial ambush, to ignore mass killings while chasing second term, and to normalize the abduction of children is a declaration of war against Nigerians,” Agbedi said.
He vowed that the opposition would continue to deploy every constitutional and legislative tool available to hold the government accountable.
“We will not be silent. We will not be intimidated. We will use every legislative instrument to hold this government accountable,” he stated.
Addressing Nigerians directly, the Minority Leader urged citizens not to lose faith in democracy despite the country’s present difficulties.
“To Nigerians: Do not despair. 2027 will not be decided in Aso Rock or by compromised courts. It will be decided by you, the people.
“The opposition parties will stand with you. The opposition will not be muscled out. Nigeria will be rescued.”
The press conference marked one of the strongest attacks yet by the House Minority Caucus on the Tinubu administration, highlighting growing opposition concerns over insecurity, economic hardship and the state of Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
