By Sandra Kenneth
Former Kogi West lawmaker, Dino Melaye, has strongly criticized the leadership of the 10th National Assembly—specifically Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas—accusing them of compromising legislative independence and allowing President Bola Tinubu to wield executive power with insufficient scrutiny.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain dissected the performance of the legislature, arguing that cooperation with the executive branch has crossed the line into total submission.
“A lifetime presidency does not begin with the abolition of term limits. It begins when the institutions created to restrain a President slack in duty,” Melaye stated. “The President may request. Parliament must scrutinise. The President may propose. Parliament may accept, amend or reject. The President may exercise power. Parliament must ensure that power remains within the Constitution.”
Controversial Legislation and Rushed Bills
Melaye drew attention to several instances where legislative speed bypassed thorough public interest checks, notably citing the July 2024 amendment to the Nigeria Police Act. The fast-tracked amendment—which permitted an Inspector-General of Police to remain in office until the expiration of their appointment tenure regardless of standard retirement rules—was passed by both chambers in a single day. He noted that the amendment initially benefited former IGP Kayode Egbetokun and was succeeded by Olatunji Disu.
The former senator also questioned:
The March 2025 State of Emergency: Challenged whether the voting procedures utilized by both chambers during the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State genuinely met the constitutional threshold of a two-thirds majority of all members.
Electoral Act Controversies: Criticized the House of Representatives’ handling of motions concerning real-time electronic transmission of election results, questioning proceedings where presiding officers declared “aye” despite opposing voices.
Massive Service-Wide Vote Allocations: Highlighted a lack of stringent oversight regarding public spending, pointing to ballooning allocations to Service-Wide Votes totaling approximately N26.22 trillion across the 2024, 2025, and 2026 budgets.
While acknowledging that the Budget Office had previously explained that the 2026 allocations covered essential government obligations like personnel costs and capital projects, Melaye insisted that such explanations do not absolve the legislature of its primary duty to track public funds.
Efforts by media correspondents to reach the Clerk of the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, for comments regarding the allegations were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages remained unreturned as of the time of filing.
