Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has criticized the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, for enabling executive recklessness.
His comments followed the removal of Borno State Senator Ali Ndume as the Senate Chief Whip due to his criticism of President Bola Tinubu. Ndume’s removal on Wednesday was prompted by a letter from the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), signed by National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and Secretary Ajibola Bashiru. The APC warned Ndume against attacking the party and suggested he consider leaving.
In a statement on Thursday, Atiku said, “We are beginning to see a pattern in which the National Assembly has become an enabler of executive recklessness, and the concerns of the people stand in the nadir of the priority list of the legislature. This emerging reality must stop. The health of our democracy is being compromised by this unholy alliance between the executive and the legislature and portends a dictatorship that will worsen the lot of the people.”
The former Vice President expressed regret that “the democracy in Nigeria under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has become an anathema to the general principle of democracy as providing primary protection for the people against executive excesses.”
Atiku further criticized the National Assembly for becoming subservient to the President, stating that senators are chastised whenever they hold the executive accountable. He cited the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi, who highlighted budget padding in the 2024 Appropriation Bill, and the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Chief Whip after he urged the President to address hunger and poverty in the country.
Atiku accused the lawmakers of misplacing their priorities and failing to act in the best interest of the Nigerian people.
