A northern socio-political group, the Northern Patriots, has launched a scathing attack on the National Assembly, accusing federal lawmakers of betraying the nation for personal gain.
The group alleged that the current legislature has abandoned its constitutional responsibilities and sold out the Nigerian people “for a cup of garri.”
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by its president, Alhaji Babagida Muazu, the group said the National Assembly had become “a rubber stamp in the hands of a few powerful interests,” allowing billions of naira in public funds to be diverted to off-budget projects, many of which are allegedly concentrated in the South-West.
Muazu did not mince words: “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 indicates that several multi-billion-naira infrastructure and social projects are currently being executed by the Federal Government without legislative approval. The Northern Patriots claim these projects are not part of the 2025 Appropriation Act and are strategically located in the South, raising concerns about deliberate economic marginalisation of the North.
“It is a scandal of monumental proportions that the Federal Government is implementing projects not captured in the 2025 Appropriation Act,” Muazu said. “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.”
The group was especially critical of northern lawmakers, accusing them of abandoning their duty to protect the interests of their constituents.
“Instead of defending their constituencies, these lawmakers have turned themselves into errand boys of the executive,” Muazu said.
“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.”
The Northern Patriots announced that it is mobilising traditional rulers, youth groups, and civil society organisations across the 19 northern states to initiate a mass recall process targeting senators and House of Representatives members deemed complicit.
“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,” Muazu declared.
The group also accused the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives of presiding over a compromised and ineffective parliament.
“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,” he added.
The group said it would soon publish a comprehensive report listing specific off-budget projects and the federal agencies involved in their implementation.
Muazu concluded with a warning: “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.
“This is not about North versus South — it’s about Nigerians versus a failing system. We must wake up and defend the republic.”
