The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has stated that the National Assembly would continue to work with President Bola Tinubu in the nation’s interest, stressing that they will not oppose the executive arm of government for the fun of it.
He stated this on Tuesday while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Open Week in Abuja, stressing that the parliament’s constitutional duty is to serve Nigerians rather than manufacture conflict with the executive.
According to him, “Throughout these responsibilities, the National Assembly has worked constructively with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in pursuit of national progress.
“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, and history, I believe, will judge it fairly.”
He said parliament was established to serve Nigerians and should remain accessible to citizens rather than operate as a closed institution.
“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,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President restated that parliament belongs to the people whose votes created it and not to lawmakers.
According to him, “Parliament belongs not to those elected to sit within it, but to the millions whose hopes and votes brought it into existence.
“Parliament was never built to keep the people out. It was built to bring them in, for democracy flourishes only in the confidence of an informed and engaged citizenry.”
Akpabio said public confidence in democratic institutions could only be strengthened through transparency and accountability.
His words, “Public confidence is earned not by asking citizens to trust institutions blindly but by embracing transparency and accountability.
“Parliament should never fear informed criticism. Questions strengthen democracy. Transparency strengthens legitimacy. The more Nigerians understand our work, the stronger our democracy becomes.”
He urged Nigerians to engage more actively with the legislature by attending public hearings, scrutinising its work, and holding lawmakers accountable.
“We invite Nigerians not merely to observe us, but to engage with us; not merely to applaud where they agree, but to challenge us where they believe we can do better.
“A parliament that listens becomes wiser. A democracy that listens becomes stronger,” he said.