LP Reps to Tinubu, APC: Prioritise welfare, security of Nigerians, not 2027 politics

By Gift ChapiOdekina

Abuja-The Labour Party caucus in the House of Representatives has expressed disappointment that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was prioritising 2027 politics over the welfare and security of Nigerians, labeling it insensitive, unconscionable and a clear example of questionable leadership.

It emphasised that while the President’s aspiration for re-election was legitimate, his priority should be addressing the pressing challenges facing Nigerians.

In a statement issued by the Labour Party caucus leader, Afam Victor Ogene, in Abuja yesterday, the lawmakers reiterated that the primary duty of a government was to ensure the welfare and security of its citizens.

However, the caucus criticised the APC and President Bola Tinubu for prioritising their 2027 reelection bid over these fundamental responsibilities.

The statement expressed concern and bewilderment that while the nation grappled with insecurity, the ruling party was either ignoring the issue or offering superficial solutions, rather than addressing the problem effectively.

These concerns were raised amid escalating insecurity nationwide and the administration’s struggles to fund budgets and demonstrate accountability.

“The situation has led to prolonged protests by local contractors who remain unpaid for completed projects, sparking economic hardship, stalled development, and a dearth of new projects,” it said.

The caucus highlighted that the “Appropriation Act’’, a law governing budget allocation, had been consistently disregarded by the current administration.

It pointed out the irony of the government pursuing costly projects, such as the controversial multi-trillion naira Lagos-Calabar coastal road without proper appropriation or procurement processes, while essential federal road infrastructure laid in disrepair.

According to the LP caucus, this has raised concerns among citizens, particularly those planning to travel during the festive season, who face not only difficult road conditions but also heightened insecurity.

Also of grave concern to the caucus is the opaque expenditure of N17.5 trillion in 2024 alone on a pipeline-security contract, as revealed in the recently audited accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC.

“Nigerians would remember that over a 12-year period, the country spent about N18 trillion on subsidy(which benefitted everyone through affordable transportation and cheaper costs of foodstuffs), but on the excuse of lack of funds to sustain the subsidy regime, this administration has clearly robbed Peter(Nigerians), to pay Paul(cronies), through a questionable pipeline-security contract whose executors are unknown,’’ it stated.

The LP caucus stated further:  “Our dear country, Nigeria has become a special economic zone: everyone and everything now has a price. Kidnappers and bandits now have prices on the heads of the citizenry; elected officials now have a price to look the other way; and opposition figures have prices to enthrone chaos in their own platforms.

‘’Even the clergy and ulamas are not spared the chicanery of the divisive effects of a gravely monetised polity.  Pray, Nigerians, we’re in the 12th month of the year, 2025. In fact, across government owned enterprises, ministries, departments, and agencies, MDAs, of government, none can boast of 10 per cent of execution of the capital component of the budget.

‘’In most cases, the scorecard reads nil.  Yet everyone carries on as though this has become the new normal.  Worse is the glaring impunity of relevant officials not bothering to explain to anyone where revenues meant for the implementation of the budget have ‘disappeared’ to.

“Nigeria is on a negative cruise; local contractors occupying the offices of the Federal Ministry of Finance, retired police officers taking over the gates of the National Assembly, while kidnappers freely choose where to strike every single day, yet the only response by government is to launch and distribute vehicles for a purported Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘’So, while the country sits on the precipice, all Mr. President thinks about is to return to power in 2027.

Mr. President, while your quest is a legitimate aspiration, please do well to attend to the current stark realities confronting Nigerians.’’

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