Akpabio, Abbas-Led National Assembly Has Failed – Salihu Lukman

• Salihu Mohammed Lukman criticized the 10th National Assembly for failing to serve Nigerian interests effectively through legislative oversight
• Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas defended the Assembly’s record, highlighting the introduction of bills and motions crucial to Nigeria’s development

Salihu Mohammed Lukman, a former national vice chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), criticized the performance of the 10th National Assembly, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas, stating that it has failed to serve the interests of Nigerians.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Lukman highlighted that the 10th Assembly has not effectively compelled the executive arm to act in the best interests of the Nigerian people. He lamented the absence of strong legislative oversight and criticized what he perceived as a lack of courage among lawmakers to challenge harmful executive decisions.

Meanwhile, Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas defended the National Assembly’s record, citing the introduction of 1,351 bills and 679 motions, surpassing previous assemblies in legislative output during their initial sessions since 1999. He asserted that the House had passed laws pivotal to the country’s economic landscape, sectoral reforms, and democratic institutions.

Lukman, who recently resigned from the ruling party, stated, “Partly because of the faint or almost complete absence of courageous voices in the National Assembly, the president and the members of the executive body of government are practically getting away with virtually every wrong decision that is harmful to the wellbeing of Nigerian citizens.

“How did we get to this abysmally low level of legislative practice whereby it can almost be said that in Nigeria, democracy equates to darkness? Without going into details, a combination of many factors over the last 25 years is responsible.

“Some of the factors include the reality whereby systematically, the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly has been downgraded to the status of appointees of the president. This was largely made possible because the party machinery or organs, which are supposed to serve as platforms for negotiations, have been weakened and subordinated to the president.”