Akpabio: NASS won’t manufacture conflict with Tinubu to prove point, we will cooperation not surrender

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said the National Assembly will continue to work constructively with President Bola Tinubu in the interest of Nigeria, insisting that parliament does not need to create unnecessary conflict with the executive to demonstrate its independence.

Akpabio stated this on Tuesday while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja.

He said the legislature exists to serve Nigerians and should remain accessible to the people, stressing that parliament belongs to citizens whose votes created it, not to lawmakers.

> “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,” he said.

The Senate President noted that democracy thrives when citizens actively engage with the legislative process, urging Nigerians to attend public hearings, scrutinise the work of lawmakers and hold them accountable.

According to him, transparency and accountability are essential to strengthening public confidence in democratic institutions.

> “Parliament should never fear informed criticism. Questions strengthen democracy. Transparency strengthens legitimacy. The more Nigerians understand our work, the stronger our democracy becomes,” he added.

Akpabio disclosed that the 10th National Assembly has passed more than 100 bills within its first three years in office, describing the achievement as unprecedented at this stage of Nigeria’s democratic journey.

He said the legislature had enacted laws to strengthen national security, improve education, modernise the country’s tax system, approve a new national minimum wage, promote investment and establish regional development commissions.

Defending the cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive, Akpabio said cooperation with President Tinubu should not be interpreted as a surrender of parliamentary 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, to question what requires scrutiny, and to correct what demands improvement. That is the balance we have sought to maintain,” he said.

He also said the Senate and the House of Representatives have worked together with “uncommon harmony and mutual respect” over the past three years.

Akpabio further highlighted Nigeria’s return to the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union after nearly six decades, describing it as evidence of renewed international confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.

He concluded by encouraging Nigerians to participate actively in the affairs of the National Assembly, expressing confidence that the Open Week initiative would strengthen public trust and deepen the relationship between parliament and the people.

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