A northern socio-political group, the Northern Patriots, has accused lawmakers from the region of betraying their people by keeping silent over what it described as the diversion of national resources into projects outside the 2025 budget, most of which are concentrated in the South-West.
The group alleged that members of the National Assembly, particularly northern legislators, have failed to challenge what it called “a grand betrayal of trust” and “a deliberate attempt to economically isolate the North.”
In a statement signed by its president, Alhaji Babagida Muazu, the Northern Patriots said it has obtained intelligence showing that several infrastructure and social projects currently being executed by the Federal Government were not captured in the 2025 Appropriation Act.
According to the group, these projects—worth billions of naira—are being undertaken outside the approved budgetary framework, raising serious concerns about transparency and fiscal discipline.
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“It is a scandal of monumental proportions,” the statement read. “The Federal Government is implementing projects that were never approved by the National Assembly, and yet the very lawmakers empowered to check such abuses have chosen to remain silent. Their silence is complicity.”
Focus on Northern Lawmakers
While criticising the entire legislature, the group reserved its harshest words for lawmakers from the North, accusing them of abandoning their constituencies at a critical time.
“The silence of northern legislators is a betrayal of the mandate of their people,” Muazu said. “Instead of defending their constituencies, they 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 off-budget projects favour one section of the country at the expense of millions of northern citizens.”
The group described the current National Assembly as the “most docile and directionless since 1999,” arguing that it has surrendered its oversight powers and turned into “a rubber stamp for sectional interests.”
According to the Northern Patriots, many of the new projects being rolled out are concentrated in the South-West, a development the group says is part of a covert political strategy to divert national resources to benefit a few.
“The National Assembly has sold out Nigerians for a cup of garri,” the statement continued. “What we are witnessing is not just mismanagement; it is a sectional agenda being executed under the cover of legislative silence.”
The group accused the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives of presiding over a “compromised parliament” that no longer represents the Nigerian people.
Call for Recall of Lawmakers
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In response, the Northern Patriots said it was mobilising civil society organisations, traditional rulers, and youth movements across the 19 northern states to begin the process of recalling their representatives from both chambers of the National Assembly.
“We cannot continue to tolerate this level of irresponsibility,” Muazu declared. “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 described the legislature as a “marketplace for personal gain” rather than a sanctuary for the national interest, insisting that the people must now take back their democracy before it is “completely sold off.”
Next Steps and Broader Warning
The group revealed that it will soon release a detailed report highlighting the specific projects allegedly being executed outside the approved budget, as well as the agencies involved.
“The legislature is asleep while the executive rewrites the budget by stealth,” Muazu said. “If this continues, there will be nothing left to check or balance. The situation is too grave to ignore.”
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He urged Nigerians across all regions to join the call, stressing that the movement is about accountability and national integrity, not regional rivalry.
“This is not just a northern issue—it is a national disgrace. But it is also a wake-up call. The lawmakers who failed to defend Nigeria’s unity, fairness, and transparency have forfeited their legitimacy. The people must now act,” Muazu concluded.
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