Akpabio Defends Tinubu Alliance, Says NASS Won't Oppose President 'For The Fun Of It'

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the National Assembly's working relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that lawmakers will not oppose the executive merely to project independence.

Speaking on Tuesday while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, Akpabio said Parliament's constitutional responsibility is to promote Nigeria's national interest by supporting beneficial government policies, scrutinising proposals that require oversight and correcting those that need improvement.

He argued that cooperation between the legislature and the executive should not be interpreted as a surrender of Parliament's constitutional powers.

"Throughout these responsibilities, the National Assembly has worked constructively with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in pursuit of national progress," Akpabio said.

"Constructive partnership should never be mistaken for constitutional surrender. Parliament does not prove its independence by manufacturing conflict, nor its relevance by opposing for opposition's sake.

"Our constitutional duty is to support what advances the national interest, to question what requires scrutiny and to correct what demands improvement. That is the balance we have sought to maintain, and history, I believe, will judge it fairly."

Akpabio said the National Assembly was established to serve Nigerians and should remain open, transparent and accountable to the citizens whose votes created it.

According to him, Parliament belongs to Nigerians rather than elected lawmakers.

"These walls were never meant to keep Nigerians out. They were built to welcome them in, not merely as spectators of democracy, but as its rightful owners," he said.

"Parliament belongs not to those elected to sit within it, but to the millions whose hopes and votes brought it into existence.

"Parliament was never built to keep the people out. It was built to bring them in, for democracy flourishes only in the confidence of an informed and engaged citizenry."

The Senate President maintained that public confidence in democratic institutions could only be sustained through openness, transparency and accountability.

He said lawmakers should welcome constructive criticism from Nigerians rather than resist public scrutiny.

"Public confidence is earned not by asking citizens to trust institutions blindly, but by embracing transparency and accountability," he said.

"Parliament should never fear informed criticism. Questions strengthen democracy. Transparency strengthens legitimacy. The more Nigerians understand our work, the stronger our democracy becomes."

Akpabio encouraged Nigerians to take greater ownership of the legislature by attending public hearings, monitoring parliamentary activities and holding elected representatives accountable.

"We invite Nigerians not merely to observe us, but to engage with us; not merely to applaud where they agree, but to challenge us where they believe we can do better," he said.

"A parliament that listens becomes wiser. A democracy that listens becomes stronger."

Reviewing the performance of the 10th National Assembly, Akpabio said lawmakers had passed more than 100 bills within their first three years in office, describing the achievement as unprecedented at this stage of Nigeria's democratic history.

According to him, the legislature has enacted laws aimed at strengthening national security, improving access to education by addressing the out-of-school children crisis, reforming the country's tax administration, approving a new national minimum wage, encouraging investment and establishing regional development commissions.

He also said the National Assembly had approached the screening and confirmation of presidential nominees with the seriousness required under the Constitution.

The Senate President further disclosed that Nigeria had regained a seat on the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union after nearly six decades, describing the development as evidence of renewed international confidence in Nigeria's democratic institutions.

Akpabio also praised the relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives, saying both chambers had worked together with "uncommon harmony and mutual respect" over the past three years.

Addressing Nigerians directly, he urged citizens to become active participants in legislative processes.

"Whether you are with us today, following these proceedings online, listening on radio, watching on television, or gathered beneath a mango tree in a village square, this parliament belongs to you," he said.

"Come closer. Attend our public hearings. Read the laws we make. Question us. Challenge us. Encourage us. Democracy flourishes when citizens remain active participants in the work of self-government."

He expressed optimism that the National Assembly Open Week would strengthen public confidence in Parliament and deepen engagement between lawmakers and citizens.

"The true measure of parliament is not the height of its walls, but the depth of its people's confidence," he said.