Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the National Assembly’s working relationship with President Bola Tinubu, insisting that cooperation with the executive does not amount to a surrender of the legislature’s constitutional independence.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, where he stressed that parliament has no obligation to manufacture unnecessary conflict with the presidency.
He said the National Assembly belongs to Nigerians and not to elected lawmakers, adding that democracy grows stronger when citizens take an active role in governance.
“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,” Akpabio said.
He maintained that public confidence in democratic institutions can only be sustained through openness, accountability and genuine engagement with citizens, noting that informed criticism strengthens rather than weakens democratic governance. He urged Nigerians to attend public hearings, monitor legislative work and hold their 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. A parliament that listens becomes wiser. A democracy that listens becomes stronger,” he said.
Speaking on the achievements of the 10th National Assembly, Akpabio disclosed that lawmakers have passed over 100 bills within three years, a feat he described as unprecedented at this stage of the country’s democratic journey.
Among the key legislative accomplishments, he listed laws on national security, the return of out-of-school children to classrooms, tax reforms, an upward review of the national minimum wage, investment promotion, and the creation of regional development commissions.
He also noted that the Assembly had carried out screening and confirmation of public office holders as constitutionally required, and revealed that Nigeria has regained a seat on the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union after nearly six decades.
On the relationship between the legislature and the executive, Akpabio insisted that working closely with President Tinubu should not be mistaken for a compromise of the National Assembly’s independence.
“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, question what requires scrutiny and correct what demands improvement. That is the balance we have sought to maintain,” he said.
He commended what he described as a cordial and mutually respectful relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives over the past three years.
Akpabio called on Nigerians to take ownership of the National Assembly by engaging more with its activities, expressing optimism that the Open Week would deepen public trust and strengthen ties between parliament and the citizenry.
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