Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has admitted that many Nigerians now view federal lawmakers as “sell‑outs” because of their cooperative stance toward President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking on Friday, December 19, at the National Assembly during President Tinubu’s presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, Akpabio said the perception of a too‑friendly parliament is widespread but misguided.
“Many in our country view the patriotic collaborative work between the National Assembly and the Executive arm as a sell-out by the parliament.
“But history is unambiguous on one enduring lesson: nations advance when the Executive and the Legislature work in concert, and they falter when the two become locked in hostility,” he said.
Addressing lawmakers, diplomats and top government officials in the chamber, Akpabio argued that constant confrontation between arms of government may be popular with critics but is damaging to governance.
READ ALSO: Senate Leader Denies Alleged Attempt to Remove Akpabio
“It is pertinent to note that history has often distilled its lessons into simple truths. One of them is this: great nations are not built by perfect conditions, but by leaders who make hard choices together,” he added.
He said global experience, from the collapse of historic republics to modern budget standoffs, shows that when “organs of state treat each other as adversaries, the nation pays the price,” but “when they act as partners under the Constitution, stability deepens, reforms take root, and progress becomes possible.”
His comments come against the backdrop of years of public criticism branding successive National Assemblies as “rubber stamps” for the Presidency, with civic groups and opposition figures accusing lawmakers of passing major executive proposals, especially budgets and loan requests, with limited scrutiny.
The 10th Assembly under Akpabio has faced similar accusations over its speed in approving key Tinubu administration policies, a perception he is now openly trying to counter by re‑casting cooperation as constitutional partnership rather than blind obedience.