NASS members vow to delay Tinubu’s 2026 budget over constituency projects funding

National Assembly members have vowed to delay President Bola Tinubu’s 2026 budget over funding for constituency projects, citing discriminatory treatment between the National Assembly leadership and members.

It was gathered that lawmakers made the decision during a chaotic meeting between legislators, Finance Minister Wale Edun, and Minister for Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu at the National Assembly, where members led by Ahmed Wase clashed with the leadership of the two chambers over unfair payment plans.

Federal Inland Revenue Service chairman Zacch Adedeji was also present at the meeting. Lawmakers present at the meeting on Tuesday morning told said that the situation began when the federal government agreed to release N850 billion for constituency project payments to legislators under mounting pressure.

However, things escalated immediately after the appropriation committees for both the Senate and the House of Representatives decided that ordinary members would receive only 30 per cent of the funds for their projects, while leaders of both chambers would have full access to their shares.

“This sitting was convened due to the lack of funding for the 2025 budget and the non-payment of 2024 National Assembly projects. After prolonged back-and-forth and mounting pressure from members, the president approved the release of ₦850 billion for project payments,” one of the lawmakers said

“However, the appropriations committees of both the Senate and the House refused to fund members’ capital projects. Instead, they funded only 30 per cent of members’ and senators’ projects while fully financing their own major budget insertions.”

The lawmaker added, “Members rejected this arrangement, directing strong criticism at the House leadership and even threatening to enforce a ‘No Funding, No Sitting’ stance starting today. In response, and to ease the growing discontent, the leadership wisely convened this parley.” The meeting immediately turned into chaos as lawmakers, angered by the decision, sharply rejected the proposal for a 30 per cent funding cap.

In response, the aggrieved members vowed to block any attempt by Mr Tinubu to pass the 2026 budget while accusing his administration of insufficient efforts to ensure that the National Assembly has access to funds to fund its projects, the sources said.

“Now members’ condition is that nothing will be done on the 2026 budget except that all outstanding projects are funded,” the lawmaker told The Gazette. “Members rejected this arrangement, directing strong criticism at the House leadership and even threatening to enforce a ‘No Funding, No Sitting’ stance starting today. In response, and to ease the growing discontent, the leadership wisely convened this parley.”

The legislators added that many of them, especially new members, have also vowed not to return to the House should the trend continue. The spokesperson for the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, told The Gazette by telephone that the dispute has been resolved and that there is no plan to withhold the 2026 budget. He noted that the meeting was not solely about constituency funding but an elaborate discussion of the entire national development plan for next year.

“Be assured, there is no plan to withhold or block the 2026 budget,” Mr Agbese said. “As a parliament, we have crossed that bridge and moved forward. Today’s meeting was never solely about constituency projects; it was a broad, robust discussion on the entire national development agenda for 2026.”

The lawmaker added, “It is perfectly normal, and even healthy, for strong views to be exchanged in such engagements. Yet, as always, the overriding national interest will prevail. Both the honourable ministers and members of the National Assembly mean well for Nigeria and are fully committed to the progress of our country.

“I can assure you that today’s interaction was constructive and markedly different in tone and spirit from some previous ones.” Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Nigerian Senate, Tony Nwoye, the senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District, said he was not “aware of the meeting.” Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.