There are many lawmakers in the administration of President Bola Tinubu, fuelling discussions that the executive might have a huge influence on the 10th National Assembly and that if care is not taken, it could be a rubber stamp, Sunday PUNCH examines this development
The legislative arm of government is in place in a constitutional democracy to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the country, from the local to the state and federal levels. Thus, they are expected to collaborate with the executive to deliver good governance for the benefit of the citizenry.
However, many people believe that when the relationship is not well managed and boundaries established, the legislature could lose focus and become an extension of the executive, which has become the most powerful of the three arms of government, the third being the judiciary.
There are already concerns over the real independence of the 10th Assembly, first because of the dominant role the executive played in nominating leaders for the two chambers, and the second being the number of ex-lawmakers in top positions in the executive, in which case matters could be treated on an esprit de corps basis.
The ninth Assembly was criticised as a rubber stamp of the executive under former President Muhammadu Buhari, even though the Assembly passed some landmark bills that those before it struggled to push through. However, many people blamed the ninth Assembly for aiding the executive to increase the country’s debt profile by approving most of the loan requests by the Buhari government.
In the current administration under President Bola Tinubu, there are a number of ex-lawmakers, including the President, his vice, Kashim Shettima, and some others in the National Working Committee of the governing All Progressives Congress. Some of the ex-lawmakers in government are:
Tinubu
Tinubu is a former member of the National Assembly, though briefly. He was a member of the Senate in the short-lived Third Republic when he represented Lagos West Senatorial District on the platform of the Social Democratic Party. It is a common saying that ‘Once a senator is always a senator’, and this explains why ex-senators retain the title for life. Even as a two-term governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, his time in the red chamber has remained a point of reference in his political journey. Tinubu was sworn in as the President on May 29, 2023.
Shettima
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was a member of the ninth Senate, where he represented Borno Central Senatorial District until Tinubu, as the presidential candidate of the APC, picked him as his running mate. Despite the stiff opposition to their Muslim-Muslim ticket, the party won the election held on February 25, 2023. Shettima remained a member of the Senate until he was sworn in as the vice-president on May 29, 2023. He was the Governor of Borno State between 2011 and 2019, after which he was voted into the Red Chamber.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu
Nigeria’s first lady, Oluremi Tinubu, is also an alumnus of the National Assembly. She was a member of the ninth Senate until her husband became the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The former Lagos State first lady represented Lagos Central Senatorial District for three terms. On March 1, 2023 when he was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Bola Tinubu said jokingly that his wife would not contest any election because he needed her at home. He stated, “To my lovely wife, Oluremi Tinubu, you the senators should not expect her back. She is going to be my housewife and first lady.”
Akume
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, is also a former member of the Senate. He is equally a former Governor of Benue State, the ‘Food basket of the nation’ for two terms – 1999 to 2007. Akume was a member of the Senate for three terms (5th, 6th and 7th Assemblies) during which he became the Minority Leader (from 2011 to 2015). He later became the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs during Buhari’s second term. As a former principal officer of the Senate, he is also expected to leverage his relationship with the red chamber to the government’s advantage.
Gbajabiamila
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, is the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives. In the February 25 National Assembly election, Gbajabiamila was re-elected for a record sixth term in the House to represent Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in Lagos State. He was first elected a member of the House in 2003, and he later rose to the positions of Minority Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader and Speaker. As a former presiding officer, it is expected that he would use his influence in the federal legislature to the advantage of his principal, the President.
Hadejia
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Ibrahim Hadejia, is another alumnus of the National Assembly. He represented Jigawa North-East in the Senate between 2019 and 2023. He previously served as the deputy governor of the state. Prior to that, he served as the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General before he became the Secretary to the State Government. The Chief of Staff to the Vice President is well experienced in the executive and legislature, and is expected to leverage that experience to the advantage of the current government.
NASS liaison officers
It is a tradition for the President to appoint two Special Assistants on National Assembly matters; one for the Senate and another for the House of Representatives. It is understandable that these special assistants will be former members of the federal parliament. The appointees do not only serve as liaison officers between Presidency and the National Assembly, they are responsible for the transmission of passed bills to the President for his assent. They also serve as a guide whenever the President or members of his cabinet are to visit the National Assembly, like the presentation of budget or when appointees like ministers are summoned by any of the chambers.
Gumel
Meanwhile, Senator Abdullahi Gumel has been appointed as the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate). Gumel, who is from Jigawa State, represented Jigawa North West Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019. In 1999, he became a member of the House of Representatives and represented Gumel Federal Constituency and he chaired the House Committee on Special Duties and later as chairman of the committee on Police Affairs. He was later appointed as the Special Adviser to the then Speaker, Aminu Masari on special assignments. Being an alumnus of both chambers, he is expected to deploy his knowledge and experience to ensure a smooth relationship between the executive and legislature.
Ibrahim
The Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Olanrewaju Ibrahim, was a member of the ninth House of Representatives, during which he served as the deputy chairman, House committee on agriculture and production services as well as member of the defence, judiciary and environment committees. He served under the Gbajabiamila’s leadership of the green chamber.
NASS alumni in APC NWC
APC chairman, Adamu
The National Chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was also a member of the ninth Senate. He represented Nasarawa West Senatorial District, where he had been since 2011. He was however elected the chairman of the party in 2022. Adamu, who was the governor of Nasarawa State between 1999 and 2007, earlier served as the Minister of State for Works and Housing under the military regime of General Sani Abacha. A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, he was once the secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees. In case situations demand, the party chairman is expected to use his influence to the government’s advantage, especially because the four presiding officers are members of the party.
Deputy chairman, Kyari
Senator Abubakar Kyari was also representing Borno North Senatorial District in the ninth Senate when he became the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the APC in 2022. Thus, he’s an alumnus. Before he joined the Senate in 2015, he was a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.
APC secretary, Omisore
The National Secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is also an alumnus of the Senate. He served as the Deputy Governor of Osun State from 1999 to 2003 and later represented Osun East Senatorial District in the Senate between 2003 and 2011. He is one of the alumni in the governing party.
10th NASS leadership
Ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the National Assembly, the APC and the President had anointed Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President and Jibrin Barau as the Deputy Senate President, and they both won their elections. Gbajabiamila, who is now the Chief of Staff, and some powerbrokers in the ruling party were said to have contributed to their emergence as the preferred candidates.
Also at the Green Chamber, Tajudeen Abbas was preferred as the Speaker, while Benjamin Kalu was selected as the Deputy Speaker. They also won their respective elections. In fact, the two deputies won unopposed, and the four presiding officers are ranking members of their respective Assemblies.
Executive-legislature relationship
Gbajabiamila, in his address at the valedictory session of the ninth House he led for four years, spoke about the relationship of the Tinubu-led executive and the legislature, with him as Chief of Staff to the President.
He stated, “As you are all aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), has nominated me to continue serving the people of Nigeria as the Chief of Staff in the Presidency. I am humbled by this new call to duty, and I am grateful to all of you who have reached out to me.
“I have long believed that the ultimate end of all political and governance efforts must be to achieve measurable improvements in the lives of the people on whose behalf we hold office. This fundamental belief in the responsibility of the government to be a force for good has been my guiding light. It will continue to be so in my new endeavours.
“I humbly ask for your prayers and support in this new chapter. I assure you that in this new role, I will work to ensure a cordial and productive relationship between the executive and legislative arms of the government, whilst respecting the independence and prerogatives of the legislature.
In a recent interview with Sunday PUNCH, the outgoing Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, who led the campaign for Akpabio to become the next President of the Senate, was asked if he could assure Nigerians that the next Assembly would not rubber-stamp for the executive, he stated, “Am I an insurance company? Let me tell you one thing: I can assure you about myself. That is to say whenever anything is not right or whenever it requires that we must speak the truth to power, Nigerians can always count on me and my voice would be heard. Even if I don’t have my way, I will have my say.”
