A northern socio-political group, the Northern Patriots, has called on Nigerians to begin the process of recalling all members of the National Assembly, accusing them of complicity in what it described as “a grand betrayal of national trust” and “systematic marginalisation” of the northern region.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its president, Alhaji Babagida Muazu, the group alleged that the current legislature has become “a rubber stamp in the hands of a few powerful interests within the executive arm,” allowing public funds to be diverted into projects outside the 2025 Appropriation Act — most of which, it said, are concentrated in the South-West.
Muazu said: “The National Assembly has sold out Nigerians for a cup of garri. We are witnessing the most docile and directionless set of lawmakers since 1999.
“They have surrendered the powers of oversight, failed to defend the sanctity of the Appropriation Act, and chosen to look the other way while a sectional agenda is being executed under their watch.”
According to the group, credible intelligence shows that several new infrastructure and social projects currently being executed by the Federal Government were never approved by the National Assembly but are being implemented in the southern part of the country “under a covert political strategy to divert national resources.”
Muazu further stated: “It is a scandal of monumental proportions that the Federal Government is implementing projects not captured in the 2025 Appropriation Act.
“These projects, worth billions of naira, are being executed outside the budgetary framework and are concentrated in one region of the country. Yet the very lawmakers who are constitutionally empowered to check these abuses have gone silent — perhaps because their own pockets are being lined.”
Muazu accused northern legislators in particular of betraying their constituents by refusing to speak up against what he described as “a clear attempt to economically isolate the North.”
“Instead of defending their constituencies, these lawmakers have turned themselves into errand boys of the executive.
“They attend oversight visits that end with envelopes instead of accountability. They pass budgets they don’t read.
“And now, they are watching as the government executes off-budget projects that favour a section of the country at the expense of millions of northern citizens,” he lamented.
The Northern Patriots said it was mobilising civil society groups, traditional rulers, and youth movements across the 19 northern states to begin the process of recalling their representatives in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Muazu declared: “We cannot continue to tolerate this level of irresponsibility. The North will not be treated as a colony of silence while others feed fat on our collective resources.
“Every senator and member of the House of Representatives who has failed to raise a voice against this injustice must be recalled. We are taking this message to every ward, every local government, and every emirate council.”
He further accused the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives of “presiding over a compromised parliament that no longer represents the people but the privileges of a few.”
“The National Assembly has become a marketplace for personal gain, not a sanctuary for national interest.
“There is no separation of powers anymore; what exists today is a collaboration of silence. They have betrayed the trust of Nigerians and should be held accountable,” Muazu said.
The group announced plans to release a detailed report in the coming weeks, highlighting specific projects allegedly being executed outside the approved budget and the federal agencies involved.
“The legislature is asleep while the executive rewrites the budget by stealth. If this continues, there will be nothing left to check or balance. The people must take back their democracy before it is completely sold off,” Muazu warned.
He called on Nigerians across all regions to “wake up and defend the republic,” stressing that the campaign was not about regional rivalry but about restoring integrity and accountability in governance.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
