Nigeria’s House of Representatives Minority Caucus has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to refocus his administration on tackling insecurity and economic hardship, or step aside from office.
The Minority Caucus made the call on Wednesday during a press briefing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. The briefing came three years into the Tinubu administration. Opposition lawmakers said Nigerians had yet to see meaningful improvement in security or the economy. They said this was despite repeated assurances from government officials.
Minority Leader Fred Agbedi led the briefing on behalf of the Minority Caucus. He said Nigeria was passing through one of its most difficult periods since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Agbedi accused the Tinubu government of paying more attention to the 2027 general election than to the suffering of ordinary Nigerians. He said the country was bleeding and confused. He blamed the administration for pushing the nation towards the brink through a relentless focus on electioneering.
The Minority Caucus called on Tinubu to suspend all political activities tied to the 2027 polls. It asked him to declare a six month National Security and Economic Recovery Plan instead. Agbedi summed up the demand simply. Politics, he said, must take a back seat when the nation is bleeding. Tinubu, he added, must lead or leave.
A major part of the briefing focused on the death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar. The former military officer was abducted alongside his wife in Katsina State before he died in captivity. Agbedi described the killing as a grave indictment of a failing state. He said a general who once commanded troops and defended the nation should not have died in such unclear circumstances. The Minority Caucus demanded an independent and transparent investigation into his abduction and death.
The lawmakers also raised concern over the continued captivity of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State. Agbedi said every hour the victims spent in captivity put their safety further at risk. He called for an urgent and coordinated rescue operation to bring them home.
On the economy, the caucus painted a grim picture of rising inflation, high food prices and a weakening naira. The lawmakers pointed to the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira as reforms that placed heavy burdens on citizens without enough social protection in place.
Agbedi said the story was the same from Sokoto to Enugu and from Borno to Lagos: hunger, killings, kidnappings and a collapsing currency. According to the Minority Caucus, many Nigerians have yet to feel the benefits of the government’s economic reforms.
The Minority Caucus also addressed a recent Federal High Court ruling that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister five political parties. The lawmakers argued the ruling could weaken opposition voices ahead of 2027. They welcomed a Court of Appeal decision that suspended enforcement of the judgment, calling it a step towards protecting democratic competition.
Agbedi urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria to intervene in the dispute over conflicting court judgments on political party registration. He also called on INEC to remain neutral and safeguard a level playing field for all parties ahead of the next general election.
Among its other demands, the Minority Caucus asked for a complete overhaul of the country’s security architecture. It also called for improved welfare packages for security personnel and stronger investment in intelligence gathering.
Deputy Minority Leader Abdussamad Dasuki, Minority Whip Mansur Soro and lawmaker Afam Ogene attended the briefing alongside Agbedi. The opposition lawmakers said they would continue to hold the government accountable through legislative means as the country heads towards a tense 2027 election season.
The Minority Caucus ended by reiterating that it would continue using parliamentary oversight to press for accountability and policy changes.
Wednesday’s briefing was one of the strongest public rebukes the Minority Caucus has delivered against the Tinubu government so far. It also showed how sharply political battle lines are forming, more than a year before voters return to the polls. How the presidency responds could shape the tone of Nigerian politics in the months ahead.
