Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central has linked what he sees as the underperformance of the 10th National Assembly to the circumstances surrounding the emergence of its leadership.
According to the lawmaker, the legislature took off under what he termed an unusual arrangement, as President Bola Tinubu publicly backed specific candidates for the leadership positions in both chambers of the National Assembly.
Umeh made this known while speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, the 12th of January, 2026, he explained that some legislators were uncomfortable with the president’s open endorsement, insisting that the Senate and House of Representatives should have been allowed to independently choose their leaders.
He noted that lawmakers who shared this position faced intense criticism and pressure on television and other public platforms but ultimately came to terms with the outcome after the president-backed candidates secured victory in the leadership elections.
The senator argued that the emergence of the Senate President and the Speaker with clear executive backing created a situation that constrained the legislature’s ability to function autonomously.
He said: “You see, 10th National Assembly started with very peculiar situation where the President openly chose the leadership for the National Assembly. You saw it happen.
“Some of us who believed that the president didn’t need to come openly to say who the leaders will be. You know, we were harassed, both on televisions and all that, and we waited.
“So there was no way he would have been expecting a different situation where the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives were openly supported by the president, the leader of the executive. We accepted it because it happened. The votings were done and they won.
“So having won, we have to work with the situation. We have met and of course, know that it would not be the same if we had elected our leadership on our own.
“I’m not begrudging anybody who became what or the other in the leadership. But what has happened is that in terms of practical discharge of responsibilities by the National Assembly, we have not been able to do so because of this situation, and those of us who are from the opposition parties, I also believed that for sanity and for the good of the Nigerian people, let’s support the executive arm of government so that it will put in its best.”
Umeh added that despite reservations within the opposition, lawmakers resolved to cooperate with the executive in the interest of stability and effective governance, even as concerns remain about the impact of the leadership process on the legislature’s independence.