Lagos State governorship aspirant, Funso Doherty, has called on the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, to investigate the recent conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Mr Gilbert Chagoury by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reportedly in connection with Chagoury’s birthday on January 8, 2026.
Doherty, a member of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the call in an open letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas. The letter was also copied to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in his capacity as Registrar of National Honours.
In the letter, Doherty urged the National Assembly to exercise its constitutional oversight functions on matters relating to national honours, particularly those of the exalted rank of Grand Commander, which, according to him, speaks directly to the values, integrity and collective honour of the nation.
The letter, titled “Re: Recent reported conferment of GCON national honour on Mr Gilbert Chagoury,” stated: “The Presidency is reported to have recently confirmed the conferment by Mr President of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) National Honour on Mr Gilbert Chagoury, allegedly on the occasion of his birthday, January 8, 2026.
“In addition to concerns about the substantive merits of this conferment—about which several serious and legitimate public questions have already arisen—the circumstances surrounding the award raise further issues that warrant the attention and scrutiny of the Honourable House.
“First, public knowledge of the conferment did not appear to have come through any official presidential or government channel. Rather, the award only became known incidentally following a congratulatory message issued by a private individual on Monday, January 19, 2026, more than a week after the stated date of conferment. This unusual mode of disclosure is troubling, particularly in light of the widely reported close personal association between the award recipient and Mr President.”
Based on his arguments above, Doherty concluded: “I respectfully call upon the National Assembly, and in particular the House of Representatives, to examine this matter in the exercise of its constitutional oversight responsibilities. Issues relating to national honours, especially those of the exalted rank of Grand Commander, speak directly to the values, integrity and collective honour of our nation.”