Following the lacklustre performance of the 9th National Assembly, which earned it the label “Rubber Stamp Assembly,” hopes were high that the 10th Assembly would usher in a new era of legislative vibrancy. While some remained optimistic, others held back, unwilling to place their faith in a parliament they doubted could address the spectre of misgovernance. For the sceptics, the declining quality of lawmaking and oversight under the Godswill Akpabio-led Assembly has only validated their concerns. The series of controversies, ranging from fiscal to moral and political, has further diminished public confidence in the so-called “Hallowed Chambers.” ENO-ABASI SUNDAY and LEO SOBECHI delve into the numerous distractions trailing the nearly two-year-old Assembly.
The atmosphere in the stadium thrummed with electric tension, and intermittent roars of fevered fans filled the night creating a potent mix of anticipation and dread. As the rival teams poured into the lush green playing pitch of the stadium from the tunnel decked in their best colours, the cacophony of banners and voices made the excitement palpable.
After all opening formalities had been observed, the referee’s whistle let out a shrill signalling the commencement of action. The atmosphere became even more charged. But at the end of the encounter, the swirling tempest of athleticism eventually paled into a huge disappointment, leaving the fans of both sides highly disappointed with their team’s lacklustre performance. The outcome of the match was nothing to write home about. No thanks to tied scores and poor, insipid display by the players.
This sporting scenario summarises what most Nigerians presently feel about the Ninth National Assembly, which was led by Dr Ahmad Lawan. In the estimation of many Nigerians, the immediate past NASS was a “rubberstamp assembly”, which failed to muster enough courage to exert itself as an independent arm of government with oversight powers.
Even though most senators in that assembly felt otherwise, one of them, who represented Adamawa South Senatorial District, Senator Binos Yeroe, broke ranks with his colleagues, and told them during the valedictory session that he agreed that the Ninth Senate was a rubber stamp, stressing that the approval of the N22.7 trillion Ways and Means further validated the rubber stamp accusation.
Since the commencement of the Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999, the 10th Senate is the seventh of its kind, while the last (the Ninth Senate) was the sixth. The First Senate in the Fourth Republic was the Fourth Senate (1999- 2003), and the Second, which lasted from 2003 to 2007 was the Fifth Senate. The third was the sixth Senate and it lasted from 2007 to 2011, while the fourth was the Seventh Senate, which was in place from 2011 to 2015. The fifth was the 8th Senate which made laws for the country from 2015 to 2019, and the sixth was the Lawan-led Senate. It held court from 2019 to 2023.
Since the effectiveness of governance is closely linked to the quality of legislative bodies, as they play a crucial role in representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government, a lacklustre parliament can pose a significant challenge to good governance.
Essentially, while a people-centred parliament is hallmarked by how responsive and accountable it has been, openness in its operations and decision-making processes helps build trust with the public, just as a dynamic parliament anticipates future challenges and takes initiative to create legislation and policies that address these issues in a forward-thinking manner.
On the other hand, a parliament that lacks vigour perpetrates poor representation and may fail to represent the interests and concerns of the populace effectively, leading to policies that do not reflect the public’s needs. It also inhibits robust debate on pressing issues, leading to consensus-building that overlooks minority opinions or key perspectives, resulting in poorly thought-out policies.
While parliaments are essential for holding the executive accountable, a parliament that lacks vitality may not challenge government actions or expenditures rigorously, leading to potential abuses of power or corruption.
This perhaps led Martin Schulz, a German politician, who was a member of the European Parliament from Germany (from 1994 to 2017), and a member of the Bundestag from 2017 to 2021 to emphasise that he is not a yes man, but a representative of his constituents. He said: “l am a man of parliament, a man of the people. I am not a representative of the executives.”
As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged preferred candidate for the Senate presidency, position, Godswill Akpabio’s emergence as the number three man was characterised by high-stakes political intrigues, horse-trading and severe bickering across diverse political platforms. Somehow, the might of what propelled him pushed down every obstacle and he had his way. But since taking the reins, Akpabio’s time at the helm has been largely topsy-turvy with the bulk of the controversies having him as the lead character.
Unending streams of gaffes, blunders
WHILE the status of the National Assembly diminishes daily, as reflected by its actions, inaction, quality of debates, lowered ethical standards, scant commitment to dialogue, and poor constituent communication, one list that is lengthening is the list of scandals that the NASS is churning out effectively.
One of the earliest signs that the 10th Senate would be a pro-executive assembly was the haste with which it passed the bill to bring back the colonialists composed national anthem- “Nigeria We Hail Thee.” That return was championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the bill was simultaneously introduced to both chambers of the NASS.
While a groundswell of bills that can turn around Nigerians’ lives stall in the NASS, Akpabio in his remarks at a joint sitting of the NASS, which had Tinubu in attendance, said: “Of all the significant things you have done, the most profound is to take us back to our genealogy — the genealogy of our birth — that though we may belong to different tribes, though we may have different tongues, in brotherhood we stand.”
One of the numerous occasions that the Senate president appeared to mock hapless Nigerians, was when he sarcastically made the “Let the poor breathe” comment, which drew their ire.
During a plenary that the Senate passed a resolution to stop the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) from increasing electricity tariff, in an apparent move to “show support” for Nigerians, Akpabio said: “The prayer is that, let the poor breathe, and Senator Mustapha has seconded that the poor should breathe. Those who are in support of the additional prayer that the poor should be allowed to breathe, say ‘aye’ and those who are against say ‘nay.”
The senators responded “aye”, to which Akpabio said, “The ayes have it! The poor must be allowed to breathe.”
Afterwards, Akpabio’s media office fought tooth and nail to defend their principal, stressing that his “Let the poor breathe” remark “was to firmly reject any plan of increasing electricity tariff for Nigerians.”
The former Akwa Ibom State governor, on August 7, 2023, while addressing his colleagues, who were preparing to commence their annual recess after the upper chamber had dispensed with the screening and confirmation of ministerial nominees, said: “To enable all of us to enjoy your holiday, a token has been sent to our various bank accounts by the clerk of the National Assembly.”
The bonus was transmitted to the lawmakers shortly after they were allocated funds to aid their “working conditions” in an amended 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.
Shortly after he made the comment, he was informed that the proceeding was being transmitted live, he made a detour and said: “I withdraw that statement… To allow you to enjoy your holiday, the Senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
As debate on a bill titled, “National Road Transportation Council (Establishment) Bill, 2024,” took centre stage on July 18, 2024, discussions for and against were entertained.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had earlier contributed to the debate suggested that water transportation should also be seriously addressed to ease pressure on roads.
Reacting after a voice vote, which appeared not to have favoured her position, Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “Mr President, we don’t want the bill to be killed, we just want a bit of clarification. We don’t want the bill killed, but it should be slightly modified.”
Akpabio in his response said: “Distinguished Senator Natasha, in the chamber, you have to be recognised before you speak. We are not in a nightclub.”
Calmly, the female senator responded: “Oh, pardon me.” But matters did not end there as Akpabio was bashed to submission by Nigerians, and forced to apologise for his “night club” comment.
The recent public altercation between the presiding officer of the Senate, Akpabio, and a debutant, Akpoti-Uduaghan, is another situation, where the duo disagreed over legislative matters or etiquette.
In the latest exchange, the Kogi senator took umbrage on how her sitting position was altered without being pre-informed or apprised of why the sudden change. In the attempt by the presiding officer to explain, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised her voice to claim privilege only for the Sergeant-at-Arms to be ordered to walk her out of the plenary session
Based on the tantrums that were thrown up, as well as issues that have been seen to underlie the bad blood that was spilt, there are fears that the latest spat could lead to far-reaching implications for both the combatants and the institutions that belong to the Senate.
Some observers have noted that when matters of morality, politics, and protocol tumble, especially in the full display for public appreciation, emotions becloud judgment and proper interpretation of rules.
Ever since the hot exchanges occurred in the full glare of national television, Nigerians have been expressing dismay that at a time of grave national socio-economic challenges, all the federal lawmakers could find was to quarrel over sitting arrangements or bedroom conversations suddenly brought to the fore.
Docile parliament an aberration to democracy
LUQMAN Isiaka, a sociologist is peeved that rather than life-changing legislation, the NASS is becoming notorious for mundane happenings and shenanigans.
He insists that Nigerians must demand proper representation from their lawmakers, who are some of the best-paid in the world.
“A lacklustre parliament can severely undermine good governance by failing to represent the populace, produce effective legislation, and hold the executive accountable. Conversely, a pro-people parliament characterised by responsiveness, transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness can enhance democratic governance, foster public trust, and ultimately lead to improved societal outcomes.
“Cultivating these attributes should be a priority for any democratic society aiming for effective governance. Anything short of this, democracy will die a gradual death. Nigerians should demand more from their lawmakers,” Isiaka emphasised.
“There should also be a manifest commitment to high ethical standards, which ensures that MPs act in the public interest, reducing the likelihood of corruption and fostering a culture of integrity,” he added.
A member of the 6th Senate and current member of the ruling APC, who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that although the Senate rules empowered the Senate President to change the sitting position of senators at will, the affected Senators deserve to know, and why.
The Senator, a former floor functionary of the Red Chamber, added that certain reasons make it proper for the presiding officer to alter the sitting arrangement, particularly in instances when minority parties make changes in their leadership caucuses.
“Ordinarily, ranking senators by way of their privileged status, are usually accommodated on the front row at the Senate Chambers. Other senators are either made to sit according to alphabetical order or their political parties.
“Unlike in the parliamentary system, members of the opposition sit around members of the ruling party. Changes in sitting order can occur, but the affected lawmakers are usually informed before the next sitting to avoid confusion or waste of parliamentary time,” the senator stated.
Politics of parliamentary procedure
AS reactions continue to trail the obvious show of shame on the floor of the upper legislative chamber, many respondents regret that the issue of sitting arrangement should occupy the time and attention of federal lawmakers.
The Convener of Movers of the Voice of Democracy (MOVERS), Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Okonkwo, said that he was lost between mirth and pain after reading a write-up on the ugly development by the publisher of Source magazine, Ms Comfort Obi.
Okonkwo alleged that the Akpabio versus Akpoti-Uduaghan tangle shows that Nigeria is not practising democracy.
He stated: “It is not democracy that Nigeria is currently operating, because we do not have the institution that delivers democracy. There must be a guiding angel that will deliver the democrat. That person must first of all believe in the rule of law.
“How can democracy exist when it is not easy for the citizens to know who they want to represent them? Or how can the representatives be accountable when all they need to emerge is the amount of money they can muster and splash on voters? So, these people have turned the parliament into a club for social escapades and drama.”
Okonkwo, who studied and lived in the United States of America, said it was a big shame that instead of mobilising to recall a representative who misbehaved, women are busy waving placards insulting a fellow woman who complained against being indecently assaulted by the opposite sex or supporting their representative without understanding the details of disagreement in the legislature.
A public affairs and governance expert, Prof. Arthur Martin Aginam, said a legislator has the right to complain about the sitting arrangement if s/he feels it was not proper.
“The Senate has its rules, and the Senate rules allow the President of the Senate, to allocate seats. But there are underlying issues, evidently in this particular case, and that is why it has blown up as it were. I think it goes beyond the sitting arrangement because, I mean, it was not only Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan whose seat was reallocated, as some people have pointed out.
“I think there are underlying issues between the two of them, and apparently, the allegation is coming up now, who to believe or who not to believe and where the truth is, sometimes depends on where you stand. And, with the court cases now on both sides, then they have to take evidence to the law court to be able to establish exactly what is the meat of the allegations being made.”
Aginam, who was until recently a professor in the Department of Communication and Development at Baze University, expressed the belief that the matter was not properly handled from the beginning even as the underlying issues helped to rouse a bit of tension, which “I think is not the first time that both have had that kind of stuff, or crossed paths in the current Senate.
“In my humble opinion, as a leader, you are supposed to be in control of your environment. Akpabio is the Senate President; he controls the Senate, and how he controls that Senate and the proceedings, depends on his personality because different people have their styles and approaches… Senator Natasha started throwing tantrums if you will, when the whole issue started. From then on, it depends on how the Senate President decides to handle it. But I don’t think he handled it very properly.
“If Akpabio didn’t want her to kind of go ahead throwing the tantrums and possibly end up making him look very bad in the eyes of Nigerians, he could have muted her microphone or shut down the Senate and go into a private or executive session, where the issues could have been sorted out,” he stated.
Faulting the idea of ordering the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, the communication expert said that anything could have gone wrong with the option adopted by the Senate President
According to Aginam: “That would have brought the image of the Senate and that of the Senate President into massive disrepute because the Sergeant at Arms on the order of the Senate President, was supposed to go and walk out a sitting senator, no matter her transgressions, if you will.
“And, at the approach of the Sergeant at Arms, she would rightly have resisted and if any one of them had laid hands on her, that would have been a massive issue, especially the underlying gender issue.”
In weighing in at the thick of the infamous exchange, a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, through an open letter, sued for the protection of the institution, stressing that the objectives should be to protect the law-making institution against a wrong perception of involvement in or tolerance of law-breaking.
Politics without service
A legal practitioner, Chief Mudi Erhenede, said the National Assembly should purge itself of indolence and disregard for the people’s interest, adding that in recent times the Senate, which ought to be above board and suspicion, has descended into a house of scandals.
While regretting that no meaningful legislation has emerged from the hallowed chambers to show determination to protect the masses’ interest, Erhenede said the 10th Senate has shown a predilection for political muscle flexing.
“It is not far-fetched to say that there is a calculated plot to muscle out opposition. Senator Ali Ndume, who is also of the APC has serially been punished for speaking out against the wrongs in our society. If they can punish their own, is it the opposition that will survive it?
“What they did to Ndume is a clear signal to everybody that either you keep quiet, or you speak in favour of the government. If you do otherwise, you will be punished. So, there is a clear attempt across the length and breadth of Nigeria to turn Nigeria into a one-party state and what is happening to Sen. Natasha is just a part of that grand plan to muscle any form of opposition out of the way.
“If not, if a senator stands up on the floor of the Senate to raise a point of order why should she be shouted down even before hearing her? The Senate President reserved the powers after she had made whatever observations she was going to make to take a stand one way or the other and make a ruling but that is not the case in this matter. They never wanted her voice to be heard.
“So, those who have their view, I think they are not completely wrong if they say that it is all part of a grand or a bigger plan to stifle the voice of the opposition, they won’t be completely out of place.”
Erhenede said most senators always try to exploit every situation to curry favour, adding, “Some senators are trying to curry favours by speaking on issues they know little or nothing about, particularly people like Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who has been trying to be more Catholic than the pope. It’s a shame that as a principal officer, Nwebonyi has clearly shown the direction of a gang.”
Noting the lack of intellectual rigour among politicians, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, said that the influence of vote buying is to blame for the lack of seriousness among political actors.
“When I see people ready to sell their votes, I Know for sure that as an opposition figure, I have not done my job well; I have not managed to paint the picture accurately for the people of Nigeria to see; I have not managed to tell them that they are suffering; I have not managed to give them the alternative because when they see the alternative and they believe in the alternative, they will not sell their votes, they will not,” Adebayo stated.
The former SDP presidential standard bearer noted that when people talk about building institutions, they forget that institutions cannot only be built around principles.
He remarked: “The Nigerian government has not dealt decisively with the issue of institutional integrity. And what happens is that we have institutions built not on principles, but to perpetuate the status quo.”
“So, the first thing you get right is that you must get the principle right. And to get the principle right you must get the right people. They don’t look for people who believe in their set of beliefs; they are looking for who can win elections. Whether he is good or bad does not matter.
“Secondly, when elections are held and somebody wins, whether by hook or by crook, somehow the person is the winner. People don’t want to stay in the opposition anymore, and that is why the system is the way it is.”
