Fresh concerns have trailed the integrity of the National Assembly’s legislative process following an allegation by a member of the House of Representatives that lawmakers pay between N1 million and N3 million before being allowed to present motions, bills, or petitions during plenary.
The lawmaker, Ibrahim Usman Auyo, who represents Hadejia, Auyo, and Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency in Jigawa State, made the claim in a video that went viral on Thursday, in which he spoke in Hausa.
The lawmaker was seen in the video reacting to criticism from his constituents.
According to him, the process of getting items listed for consideration in the House is financially driven, contrary to the public perception that debates are guided solely by merit.
Auyo, popularly known as ‘Kamfani,’ denied claims that other lawmakers wrote motions based on their constituents’ needs, but insisted that legislative processes at the National Assembly were financially driven.
He said: “Since I went to the Assembly, it’s not true that someone wrote a motion for their needs or others to be presented before the House. It’s all false. And if at all there is, anybody should come out to challenge me.
“Even the bills and petitions are paid for. You have to pay N3 million, N2 million, or N1 million for it to be read on the floor of the House. After you read the bill, you have to lobby over 360 lawmakers to support that the bill be considered.”
The lawmaker also dismissed accusations that he had neglected youth empowerment in his constituency, insisting that the majority of his projects had directly benefited young people.
“Whoever said the youths were not supported, that person only expressed their personal opinion, as it’s not true. Those who benefited know. You are not God, so you cannot satisfy everybody or be just to all. Of course, not everybody will get or benefit from the distribution. I singlehandedly do the distributions. 80 per cent of the distribution goes to the youths,” Auyo stated.
Speaking on how he handles motions and community requests, Auyo said he had a standard process in place.
He explained: “On bills, I have made it a principle that any community or local government that has any motion should sit down and put it into writing.
“They should take it to my legislative aides for onward delivery to me and await to see whether we will act on it or not. If it is something I can address instantly, we do it, and if it is something I will appeal to be placed for the next year’s appropriation, I will plead that it be done that way.”
This is not the first time lawmakers have been accused of sharp practices.
Recently, a senior National Assembly official, Ifeoma Ofili, accused lawmakers of engaging in entrenched bribery, manipulating public hearing reports, and diverting staff entitlements.
In a viral video, Ofili alleged that legislators routinely collect bribes from ministries and agencies during oversight visits and often bypass procedural checks by hiring external consultants to falsify reports.
She further claimed that allowances for staff training, healthcare, and welfare are collapsed into ambiguous budget lines and siphoned off by lawmakers, leaving both serving and retired staff struggling financially.
Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Philip Agbese, told The Guardian that Auyo’s statement is baseless and deeply irresponsible.
He said the statement by the lawmaker likely stemmed from illiteracy or ignorance and does not reflect the reality of the 10th assembly legislative practices.
According to him, the legislative process is governed by the constitution and standing orders, which he said guarantee equal access for all members without financial barriers.
He said: “I find these claims baseless and deeply irresponsible. Suggesting that lawmakers must pay fees to present motions, bills, or petitions during plenary sessions is a reckless misrepresentation of the legislative process.
“The House operates under the Constitution and its Standing Orders, ensuring transparency and equal access for all members to represent their constituents without financial barriers. Hon. Auyo’s statements, likely stemming from illiteracy or ignorance, do not reflect the reality of our legislative practices.
“Under the leadership of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the House maintains strict internal checks and balances that make it impossible for any committee to compromise our shared values as a parliament. To address this matter, Hon. Auyo will be referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to further explain his position.”
Speaking on the issue, the Executive Director of the Grassroots Centre for Rights & Civic Orientation (GRACO), Armsfree Ajanaku, stated that the alleged practice is unacceptable in any democracy that seeks to serve its citizens.
He noted that the National Assembly has faced several corruption scandals in the past, and any indication that citizens or lawmakers must pay money to have their voices heard in the legislative process amounts to corruption.
Ajanaku noted that the 1999 Constitution mandates the abolition of all forms of corrupt practices.
He said: “The allegations by Auyo are not something that should be condoned in a country where we want democracy and the benefits of democracy to reach the citizens.
“We have had a lot of corruption scandals in the National Assembly, and anything with the semblance of people having to pay money to get their voices heard in the legislative process is unacceptable and amounts to corruption. This is unacceptable, and we must not forget the constitutionally mandated directive in the 1999 Constitution that the state shall abolish all forms of corrupt practices.
“So if there is any iota of proof that this is happening, then of course we recommend that the anti-corruption agencies should move in and sanitise the legislative process.”
Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, noted that while motions and bills are not supposed to be commercialised, corruption in the public sector makes such allegations possible.
Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, said the presentation of motions and bills should never be commercialised, but acknowledged that similar allegations of monetary demands have long existed in Nigeria’s governance system.
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He explained that, in many cases, especially when the executive arm of government or its agencies are pushing for specific legislation, allegations have surfaced that financial inducements are offered to secure favourable consideration from lawmakers.
He cited past controversies, including the rushed passage of the National Anthem Bill, Rivers’ emergency rule declarations, and budget approvals allegedly influenced by such practices.
Rafsanjani noted that while this form of corruption can occur when individual lawmakers seek to have their motions listed in the order paper, it is more prevalent when powerful agencies or the executive are driving an agenda.
He said, “I remember in the early days of our nascent democracy, even when the executive allegedly bribed the National Assembly members, they brought the money in front of the camera to show how the executive tried to bribe them. Now, you have a situation whereby it is the members that are allegedly going to look for this money.
“So, this is the reason why things are not really going very well, because if the legislature is in this manner, they will not be able to do any responsible legislative work, but rather struggle to see how they can make money so that they can continue with their lifestyle.”
Credit: Guardian
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