By Chucks Nwonye
A wave of criticism has trailed the 10th Senate led by Senate President, His Excellency, Sen Godswill Akpabio, GCON, with civil society voices and legal practitioners accusing the chamber of abandoning its oversight role and prioritizing executive interests over public accountability.
This is just as concerned Nigerians have accused the Akpabio-led Senate as being insensitive to the plight of ordinary citizens, while in the habit of approving what they described as anti-people loans.
The criticism gained traction online earlier in the week after a statement by legal practitioner Ekene Aninze, Esq., listing what he termed as a pattern of controversial decisions by the Senate since Akpabio assumed leadership in 2023.
In the statement, Aninze accused the Akpabio-led Senate of repeatedly rejecting calls for independent investigations into sensitive matters. He cited two instances: the rejection, on two occasions, of a motion for an independent probe into issues around a “fake agency,” and the rejection of an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the abduction incident in Oyo State.
The Senate has not issued a formal response to those specific claims as of press time. Previous plenary records show that motions for investigations are often debated and either referred to committees, stepped down, or voted down depending on arguments raised by lawmakers.
Aninze also pointed to the Senate’s handling of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. According to him, the approval was done “with a voice vote,” a procedure the Senate has used for non-controversial matters but which critics argue should be accompanied by a more detailed record when major constitutional issues are involved. The Senate had earlier debated the Rivers emergency and cited Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution as the basis for its resolution.
On fiscal matters, the statement highlighted the Senate’s approval of what it described as “massive external borrowing,” including a $6 billion loan request said to have been processed in under three hours, and a $516 million syndicated facility from Deutsche Bank earmarked for the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway project.
External borrowing by the federal government requires legislative approval under the Debt Management Office Act and the 1999 Constitution. In recent sessions, the Senate has defended fast-tracked approvals by citing urgency in infrastructure delivery and the need to close financing gaps. The Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway is one of the federal government’s flagship road projects aimed at linking the northwest to the southwest and improving trade corridors.
Another point raised was the Senate’s record on presidential appointments. Aninze alleged that the Akpabio-led Senate has “approved every appointment that has ever come from the executive without proper scrutiny.”
The Senate’s confirmation process for ministers, service chiefs, ambassadors and heads of agencies is constitutionally mandated. Supporters of the Senate argue that most nominees are screened in the Committee of the Whole and at committee level before confirmation, while critics say the process has become a formality.
The statement further accused the Senate of approving “ambiguous provisions regarding the electronic transmission of election results,” which Aninze said created “loopholes to undermine electoral transparency.” The Electoral Act 2022, passed before the current Senate leadership, included provisions on transmission of results. Amendments and oversight of INEC operations have remained contentious in the 10th Senate, with lawmakers often split along party lines on how much discretion to grant the electoral body.
Aninze ended his remarks with a rhetorical question: “Now tell me, is there anything Akpabio led Senate cannot actually do to please the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Executives? The only thing left for Akpabio to approve is the head of John the Baptist for Tinubu. Pathetic!!”
The remarks reflect growing public frustration over the perceived relationship between the legislature and the executive. Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the National Assembly has approved several key executive requests, including ministerial lists, supplementary budgets, and loan authorizations, often with little delay. Proponents say this shows cooperation needed for governance. Critics call it a rubber-stamp legislature.
According to political pundits, public perception of the Senate often hardens around high-profile decisions. The rejection of investigative motions, the speed of loan approvals, and emergency declarations tend to draw more attention than routine legislative work such as bill passage and constituency projects.
Senate sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said the chamber still conducts oversight through its 69 standing committees, public hearings, and budget defense sessions. They argued that not every motion for an independent probe is rejected on merit, and that some are consolidated into existing committee investigations to avoid duplication.
The Akpabio-led leadership had previously said it’s committed to “legislative diplomacy” and working with the executive to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda. In remarks earlier this year, Akpabio stressed that the Senate would not be an obstacle to governance but would also not compromise on its constitutional duties.
There has been no official statement from the Senate President’s office addressing Aninze’s specific allegations.
The debate has continued on social media and radio, with many Nigerians calling for greater transparency in how the Senate handles motions, how quickly loan requests are considered, and how oversight is conducted. Others have defended the Senate, saying cooperation between arms of government is necessary in a time of economic and security challenges.
