After weeks of intrigues and politicking, Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly was on Tuesday inaugurated with a new set of leaders to steer the affairs of both chambers in the next four years.
In the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom North-West was elected and sworn-in as the 13th Senate President, while Jibrin Barau emerged the deputy unopposed.
The former Akwa Ibom State governor defeated Zamfara West Senator-elect, Abdul’aziz Yari, in the election.
Akpabio garnered 63 votes out of the 109 votes cast. Yari, a first-time Senator, scored 46 votes.
Akpabio was administered the oaths of allegiance; membership of the National Assembly and that of the office of Senate President by the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Magaji Tambuwal.
In the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna State emerged as the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 10th National Assembly, while Benjamin Kalu emerged his deputy unopposed.
Abbas had defeated former Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase and Sani Jaji to emerge victorious.
Just like it was predicted, the leaders of the 10th Assembly are the choices of President Bola Tinubu and the leadeship of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
Their emergence ends weeks of anxiety and intrigues within the ruling party which almost culminated in serious internal crisis.
In recent week, some influential lawmakers had disagreed with the party and President Tinubu’s choices and thrown themselves in the race, however, just like it was predicted most of them withdrew at the last minute, while those who did not lost out.
Many Nigerians had criticised the President and the ruling party for not allowing the federal lawmakers to choose their leaders, so they can carry out their constitutional role without being an appendage of the executive.
They said the constitution gives autonomy to the third arm of government and as such no arm should be controlled by another.
Nigerians are hoping that lawmakers in the10th Assembly would put the interest of the nation above their personal interest and enact laws for the interest of all, which would improve the socio-economic life of the country.
Across Nigeria, there is the general assumption among people that the 9th National Assembly failed to meet people’s expectations and was a rubber stamp of the executive.
So, with the inauguration of the 10th Assembly Tuesday, reactions have been mixed.
While some people said they did not expect anything different from the outcome of the elections.
Some experts are of the view that part of the reasons for the failure of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was the inability of the federal lawmakers to stamp their feet when necessary and put the former president on its toe.
Some Nigerians however, said that Akpabio’s emergence was also crucial because there were concerns about the joint faith ticket of the President and Vice President.
They believe the emergence of Akpabio, a Christian from South-South zone as the Senate President, will give some level of confidence to the Christian community in the country.
Meanwhile, political analysts have expressed doubt about the new 10th National Assembly ability to live up to expectation of Nigerians; especially considering the manner of their emergence.
They predicted that both Houses may just be another rubber-stamp in the hand of the executive like the 9th Assembly, which was a setback for Nigeria’s democracy and can be blamed partly for failure of governance across Nigeria.
“I agree there was a call for a Christian to be a third man, that is the Senate president, but I do not agree that they should be handpicked by the executive just like we saw on Tuesday.
“That is what we saw in the 9th Assembly, you can see that they were just approving anything Buhari brought before them.
“I do not think our democracy is moving in the right direction like this. If you watch at the state level; the governors have totally pocketed the Houses of Assembly, so the governors do what they like without challenge,” Tope Musowo, public affairs analyst, said.
Musowo further pointed out that Nigerians should not expect much from Akpabio and the Senate under his leadership, because he would not want to offend those who helped him attain the position.
“The implication of Akpabio’s emergence is that he would dance to the tune of the President who put him there; he would be a rubber stamp Senate president, this is a major problem for our democracy and responsible for the bad governance we are seeing across Nigeria,” he added.
Although several of the lawmakers have years of legislative and political experience that they are bringing to the National Assembly, some observers say such experience may be countless if they can’t lobby to get what they want among their colleagues.
“Of course, we know this is the National Assembly, you have to lobby your colleagues for your bill to see the light of day, and to get what you want, but sometimes it goes beyond that.
“A lot of them stay there without sponsoring any bill in four years or influence any project to their constituency.
“Let them put national interest above personal interest and face what they went there for; which is to represent the people and make laws,” James Oku, public affair commentator, said.
Read also: 10th National Assembly must not be another rubber stamp
Ladipo Johnson, lawyer and former Spokesperson of the Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential campaign organisations for the 2023 general election, said since the new National Assembly leadership was backed by the executive, he expected they would work closely with the President, but warned them that Nigerians expect the legislature to start work in earnest.
According to Johnson, “The implication of course is that the leadership that has emerged in both houses was apparently supported by the mainstream of the party and the Presidency.
“Thus, one would reasonably expect that law making in the 10th Assembly would be in tandem with the outlook of the executive arm of government .
“The people of Nigeria would expect that both the executive and legislative branches of government will hit the ground running as the executive branch has a friendly legislative branch to work with.”
Some analysts are of the opinion that the emergence of Akpabio and other principal officers was the best thing the Bola Tinubu’s administration could have asked for, stressing that it was important for the Tinubu’s administration to fulfill its campaign promises to Nigerians.
Adelaja Adeoye, former national publicity secretary of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) said Tinubu could have influenced the election of principal officers of the National Assembly because he wanted those he can work with.
“Certainly, Akpabio’s emergence as the new Senate President means a lot for the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, because apart from achieving ethno-religious power balancing, the new Senate President poses as a like-mind, who will bring the National Assembly to work with the executive in order to fast track the development and make the realisation of their campaign manifesto quicker.
“Nigerians are not so patient with the President, because they want him to quickly turn things around, therefore, he would need the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the National Assembly,” Adelaja said.
Tunde Mogaji, political analyst said Tuesday’s election of the new principal officers of the National Assembly now helped to reflect a more balanced system in the distribution of offices among the different regions on the federation, stressing that Tinubu decided to work with Akpabio because of his experience and achievements as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“It is wrong to assume Tinubu wants to control the National Assembly, that is why people like Akpabio were elected; don’t forget that Akpabio was probably the best governor during his time and Tinubu must have seen something in him.
“He was also a minority leader at the Senate at some time, so presiding over the Senate as the Senate President won’t be an issue for him to manage and am sure will collaborate well with the Speaker of the House of Representatives in discharging their duties and bring dividends of democracy closer to the people.
“For the President, since he was part of those that endorsed them, he must have seen how best they will work together,” Mogaji said.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has urged the new federal lawmakers to be revolutionary and creative in the processes of lawmaking in such a way that would showcase competency and be a noticeable departure from the rubber stamp nomenclature of the past.
The said that Nigeria cannot afford a business-as-usual approach to governance anymore, as it requires a revolutionary departure from lethargic leadership held hostage by interests hostile to the wellbeing of Nigerians and the security of the country.
In a statement by its national co-spokesperson, Mark Adebayo Tuesday the coalition advised that they should never allow the privileges and perks of office to disconnect them from the realities of the people.
He said: “Today marks another milestone in the progress of Nigeria’s democracy as the 10th National Assembly was inaugurated. It is a well-known fact that the legislature is a crucial organ of government in any democracy, being the structure that brings together the direct representatives of the people who deliberate on policies and make laws that impact directly on the lives of Nigerians and the destiny of the country as a whole.
“While we congratulate the distinguished Senators and the Honourable members of the House of Representatives for their successful inauguration today, we urge them to be mindful of the fundamental objectives of their mandate, which is for the overall welfare of their constituents. We urge them to make laws and carry out their legislative functions in accordance with the hopes and expectations of the Nigerian people without kowtowing to the temptations of political correctness to the detriment of the mass of Nigerians.”
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