Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has fired back at critics of the ongoing Electoral Act amendment, accusing some civil society organisations (CSOs) and commentators of abusing the National Assembly without understanding the lawmaking process.
Speaking on Saturday at the launch of “The Burdens of Legislators in Nigeria,” a book by former Senator Effiong Bob, at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja, Akpabio warned that premature judgments by outsiders were undermining democracy.
“There is a man who heads one NGO or a CSO. He was on television the other day abusing the Senate, the Senate that he makes money from. He said this Senate is the worst since the world was founded, Akpabio said.
“The Electoral Act amendment is incomplete, yet they are already on television. They don’t understand lawmaking.”
Akpabio explained that legislative work involves multiple stages, including motions, readings, public hearings, and approval of votes and proceedings.
Until these steps are completed, he said, it is premature for anyone to claim the Senate has failed.
“When we bring out the votes and proceedings, any senator has a right to rise up and say, ‘On clause three, this was what we agreed upon.’ Only then can you talk about what the Senate has done or not done,” he said.
He described some critics as “mouth legislators,” urging them to contest elections if they wish to engage in lawmaking rather than merely criticize from television studios.
He also dismissed the notion that agreements reached during legislative retreats automatically bind the Senate, calling retreats “part of consultations, not lawmaking.”
Akpabio added that attempts by some NGOs to influence senators with externally funded papers were not legitimate lawmaking.
“We will not be intimidated. Our lawmaking will reflect the feelings of the generality of Nigerians, not that of one NGO or somebody getting money from the European Union,” he said.
He concluded by commending Effiong Bob’s book as a valuable contribution to understanding the burdens and responsibilities of legislators, emphasizing that the Senate would continue its work without yielding to pressure or public theatrics.
Electoral Act Amendment: CSO’s have become mouth legislators — Akpabio blasts critics
