Nigeria's Political Elites Put Voters on the Hook

On October 17, 2026, two separate commentaries challenged Nigeria’s political class to explain itself to voters: one questioned a House appropriations chairman’s birthday party, the other three opposition politicians’ support for the president’s re-election drive.

In an interview with Daily Trust’s Dalhatu Liman, Associate Professor Babayo Sule of the University of Namibia, an expert in international relations and political economy focused on Nigerian electoral systems, party politics and security studies, criticized the celebration of Abubakar Bichi’s 45th birthday. Bichi chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Sule called the event extravagant and opulent amid widespread poverty, including in Bichi’s constituency. “Political leaders’ actions must not detach from the realities of the masses,” Sule said in substance. He asked whether the money spent could have supported education, poverty reduction or empowerment initiatives.

Money, Mandate and the Constituency Project

Sule went beyond the party. He opposed the constituency project system, arguing that the executive branch should primarily carry out development projects. The constitution, he said, assigns the legislature three core jobs: making laws, amending existing ones and overseeing the executive. He called for a clear demarcation among the three arms of government.

He cited a long line of skeptics. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly described constituency projects as diverting resources meant for the executive. Former President Goodluck Jonathan voiced concern about wasted public resources. Former President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly said more than n2 trillion had gone to constituency projects between 1999 and his administration. Sule said such projects can become flamboyant or useless: stadiums in villages, conference centres and skills acquisition centres without proper equipment.

He also gave Bichi credit on some counts. A June 2026 report said Bichi paid roughly N40 million in tuition or registration fees for 2,423 students at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Bichi, for the first semester of the 2025/2026 academic session. Sule commended the payment. Reports have also linked Bichi to an approximately 2,000-unit housing project, school improvements, road construction, an e-library and a mini stadium.

The Power of the Purse

Sule explained why the appropriations chair matters. Bichi led the House Committee on Works from 2019 to 2023, overseeing federal roads, bridges and other public works. Sule said that experience likely built ties with federal agencies and infrastructure stakeholders. The Appropriation Committee scrutinises proposed federal spending from ministries, departments and agencies, and can question officials and recommend changes before approval. The post brings bargaining power over allocations and national visibility, though Sule noted that an individual chairman’s sway depends on other lawmakers and the executive’s proposals.

He recalled the 2016 budget-padding controversy. Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, alleged irregularities in the National Assembly’s budget process and the House subsequently suspended him. Sule also cited Senator Danjuma Goje, who chaired the Senate Committee on Appropriation between 2015 and 2019 while Bukola Saraki was Senate President.

Sule stressed the limits of what the available information shows. Newspaper advertisements alone, he said, don’t prove anyone sought a favour or that public money paid for the celebration. Those claims need evidence.

Opposition Cards, Same Pocket?

A second piece, Stephanie Shaakaa’s essay “The Judases of Democracy: How political elites undermine voter’s mandate,” questioned why opposition figures are running parts of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election machinery. Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party were named coordinators for the FCT and Rivers State, Anambra State and Osun State, respectively. “Different party cards, same pocket,” the essay said.

Shaakaa acknowledged that alliances are inevitable and politicians shouldn’t be imprisoned by past affiliations. But she asked what achievements convinced the three that Tinubu deserved another term, which shortcomings they’d tolerate and what they expected from a second term. A campaign council, she wrote, can’t establish presidential performance or confer a mandate. Only voters can.

Accountability Through Lawful Channels

Sule urged scrutiny of officials’ wealth based on verifiable facts, not speculation or political hostility. He said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau should verify asset declarations and investigate credible allegations. He named the Centre for Democracy and Development, BudgIT and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project as civil society groups doing that work. He cited Code of Conduct Tribunal proceedings against former Senate President Bukola Saraki, noting concerns about political motives while insisting allegations must go through lawful procedures. He also called for adequate, reliable funding and institutional independence for anti-corruption agencies.

Voters, Sule said, should support candidates with records of integrity, monitor representatives after elections and demand explanations through peaceful, lawful and constitutional means.

Why This Matters:

Nigeria approaches 2027 with two trust questions on the table. One concerns money: constituency projects let lawmakers do work the constitution assigns to the executive, and critics ranging from three former presidents to a university scholar say that blurs responsibility and invites waste. The 2016 budget-padding row shows what happens when budget oversight goes wrong. The other concerns accountability: voters can’t judge parties that campaign as rivals and cooperate as allies without an explanation. From a center-right view, the remedy isn’t more discretionary spending by legislators. It’s clearer separation of powers, documented decisions, independent and properly funded watchdogs, and voters who keep score. Without those, Shaakaa’s warning about a crisis of trust gets harder to dismiss.