The embarrassing performance by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during the 2025 budget presentation, was a masterclass in sycophancy, and the latest chapter in a disgraceful saga of legislative submission that should anger every Nigerian who values democracy. Akpabio’s obsequious display during President Bola Tinubu’s presentation of the 2025 budget to a joint session of Parliament was a theatrical exhibition of legislative surrender that laid bare the legislature’s shameful abdication of its oversight role and more eager to please the executive than to perform its constitutional duty as a check on power. Akpabio’s disgraceful performance underscores the grim reality that the Senate is no longer a watchdog but a lapdog. This capitulation to the executive not only betrays the trust of the Nigerian people but also sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations. Akpabio’s pathetic puppeteering is a stain on the Senate and a betrayal of democracy that reduced the legislature to an uncircumcised appendage of the presidency. Nigerians must not accept this subjugation as the new normal. A legislature that prioritizes loyalty to the executive over loyalty to the people is unworthy of the office it occupies. It’s time to demand a legislature that acts with courage, integrity and independence.
Welcoming Tinubu to the national assembly, Akpabio said this: “As a testament to our enduring democracy and the collective aspirations of our great nation, we gather in this venerable chamber where the echoes of democracy resonate with the hopes and dreams of our people. Together, we stand on the cusp of transformation, eager to turn these hopes and dreams into a living reality for our people. To put the bolts and joints in turning these aspirations into tangible outcomes is our esteemed colleague, an indomitable statesman, the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. This great statesman, who is fast becoming a national treasure, presents to us the 2025 Appropriation Bills – a solemn declaration of our shared commitment to rise, strive, and overcome the challenges that confront us in the coming year, as well as a blueprint for our nation’s future.”
The National Assembly, once envisioned as the guardian of democracy and a bulwark against executive overreach, has devolved into a pathetic shadow of its purpose. This was not a legislature asserting its independence, debating the nation’s priorities, or scrutinizing the executive’s plans. This was a legislature groveling at the feet of the presidency, casting aside its constitutional role as a coequal arm of government. Instead of a call to rigorous scrutiny and accountability; the cornerstone of any democracy, the speech was an embarrassing ode to Tinubu. Akpabio’s address, dripping with obsequiousness, painted a bleak picture of the legislature’s role in Nigeria’s democracy. “Mr. President, while you cannot be everywhere, you have eyes everywhere. We, the Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, are your eyes in our constituencies and every corner of Nigeria,” Akpabio said; a statement so shockingly subservient that it signaled a complete abdication of the legislature’s oversight functions. Instead of holding the executive accountable, Akpabio openly embraced the role of Tinubu’s emissary, reducing parliament to a mere extension of the executive.
This disturbing pattern of systematic legislative capitulation and subservience has manifested in the sham of ministerial oversight. Despite glaring questions about the qualifications, integrity, and competence of several nominees, the Senate hastily approved President Tinubu’s cabinet picks. The process was a mere formality, devoid of critical scrutiny, as lawmakers abdicated their duty to vet those who would steer the country’s future. Despite claiming to demand accountability from ministers and heads of departments, the legislature has repeatedly failed to act when these officials blatantly disregard invitations to defend their actions. Akpabio’s toothless warnings underscore the legislature’s impotence in enforcing constitutional mandates. Besides, the Senate and House have become a conveyor belt for executive policies, rushing through approvals with little regard for debate or public consultation. From budget extensions to controversial tax reforms, the legislature has chosen to rubber-stamp rather than scrutinize. Furthermore, Akpabio’s effusive praise for fuel subsidies removal and alleged improvements in security belies the harsh realities Nigerians face daily. Instead of challenging the executive’s narrative, the legislature parrots it, betraying the very people they are meant to represent. The National Assembly has become a cheerleading squad, eager to please and unwilling to push back, even when the interests of Nigerians demand it. This is not democracy; it is a sham.
The installation of Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas was orchestrated by the presidency to ensure unquestioning loyalty. These cheerleaders were chosen not for their ability to defend the legislature’s independence, but for their willingness to toe the presidential line. This leadership manipulation and strategic neutering of legislative independence is a grave affront to the principle of separation of powers. Akpabio’s boastful extension of the 2024 budget to 2025 is emblematic of a legislature more concerned with pleasing the executive than addressing the inefficiencies in budget implementation. The consistent trend of lawmakers passing bloated budgets with little to no debate underscores Parliament’s unwillingness to hold the executive accountable. The so-called “power of the purse,” a cornerstone of legislative authority, has been reduced to a meaningless exercise. This “patriotic Assembly” is, in reality, a servile body willing to forgo its own constitutional authority.
Akpabio’s performance at the budget presentation was a masterclass in sycophancy, but it is not an anomaly. House Speaker Abbas has similarly demonstrated a disturbing eagerness to align with the executive, often at the expense of the Nigerian people. Whether it is the passage of controversial policies or the failure to hold public hearings on critical national issues, the House has proven itself equally complicit in eroding legislative independence. When did the National Assembly lose its spine? When did lawmakers decide that their primary role was to cheerlead the presidency rather than serve as the voice of the people? Nigerians did not elect puppets to applaud the executive; they elected representatives to challenge, scrutinize, and balance power. Akpabio’s speech reveals the legislature’s disgraceful abandonment of its duty to serve as a check on executive power.
This abdication of responsibility is not just a betrayal of the electorate; it is a fundamental threat to Nigerian democracy. Without an independent legislature, the executive is left unchecked, free to run amok with impunity. Corruption, mismanagement, and authoritarian tendencies flourish when oversight is abandoned. The consequences are already evident. Policies are enacted without public consultation. National resources are squandered without accountability. And the people’s grievances go unheard in the halls of power. The legislature’s subservience is a betrayal of its oath to protect and serve the nation. Akpabio’s declaration that the legislature and executive are united in purpose is a chilling admission that the National Assembly has abandoned its constitutional mandate. This is not unity; it is collusion.
Nigerians must demand better from their lawmakers. The National Assembly must remember that its allegiance lies with the people, not the presidency. It must reassert its authority, challenge executive overreach, and prioritize the nation’s interests over political expediency. Senate President Akpabio and Speaker Abbas must decide whether they want to be remembered as leaders who defended democracy or as sycophants who sold it out for fleeting political favors. History will not be kind to those who chose comfort over courage, submission over service, and sycophancy over sovereignty. The legislature’s role is not ceremonial; it is foundational. It is time for the National Assembly to rise from its knees, break free from the chains of executive control, and reclaim its rightful place as the voice of the Nigerian people. The survival of our democracy depends on it.
