By Joy Yesufu
The House of Representatives has ordered an investigation into the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, over allegations that he participated in partisan political activities while occupying a sensitive public office.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by a member representing Katsina State, Salisu Yusuf, and 12 other lawmakers during Thursday’s plenary session.
Leading the debate, Yusuf alleged that Sulaiman took part in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary process in Kwara State while serving as Director-General of NILDS.
According to the lawmaker, information in the public domain indicates that the NILDS chief purchased nomination forms, underwent screening and contested in the primary election, where he reportedly secured 1,722 votes.
Yusuf argued that the development had generated concern because NILDS is a non-partisan institution established to provide research, policy support, legislative drafting assistance and capacity-building services to the National Assembly and other democratic institutions.
He further informed the House that a petition submitted by the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners accused the Director-General of abuse of office and failure to comply with regulations governing public officers seeking elective positions.
The lawmaker maintained that, if proven, the allegations could amount to violations of provisions regulating the conduct of public servants involved in partisan politics.
According to the motion, Sulaiman allegedly failed to resign from office before participating in the political contest despite provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and a presidential directive requiring political appointees and public officials seeking elective offices to resign by March 31, 2026.
Lawmakers supporting the motion warned that failure to address the matter could undermine discipline within the public service and erode public confidence in institutions expected to operate above partisan interests.
They also argued that permitting senior public officials to participate openly in party primaries while retaining their positions could set a dangerous precedent across government institutions and agencies.
Following deliberations, the House adopted the motion and mandated its Committee on Legislative Library, Research and Documentation to investigate the allegations and submit its report within one week.
The motion was adopted through a voice vote presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
The controversy comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several public office holders reportedly positioning themselves for elective offices across the country.
NILDS, established to strengthen legislative practice, democratic governance and public policy development, serves the National Assembly through research, legislative drafting support, policy analysis and training programmes.
The institute is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s foremost non-partisan institutions supporting democratic governance.
As of the time of filing this report, no official response from Prof. Sulaiman had been made available regarding the allegations.
