Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC), has dismissed accusations from opposition parties that the National Assembly lacks autonomy, describing the claims as unfounded and inconsistent with the facts of legislative engagement.
Speaking through a statement issued Sunday by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs from his office, Bamidele asserted that the National Assembly has consistently demonstrated its independence through sustained legislative scrutiny and constructive interaction with the executive arm of government.
He pointed to the handling of the 2024 Tax Reform Bills as a prime example, noting that the process involved over 39 meetings to address contentious provisions.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, emphasized that since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on June 13, 2023, lawmakers have embraced a cooperative strategy with the executive to address Nigeria’s developmental challenges, without compromising their constitutional role or oversight responsibilities.
Although the legislature has adopted a non-confrontational style, he acknowledged that it continues to face intense public criticism, adding that the opposition, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have frequently labeled it as a ‘rubber-stamp’ institution.
Challenging the narrative, Bamidele pointed to the lengthy deliberation period for the Tax Reform Bills, saying, “If we are actually a rubber-stamp parliamentary institution as most opposition political parties have claimed, the bills would have been passed within one week or two weeks after they were laid before us.”
According to him, the bills were first introduced in November 2024 but were not passed until six months later, after extensive discussions and consultations involving both legislative and executive stakeholders.
“In the process of passing the bills, both executive and legislative arms held over 39 engagements to trash grey areas in the Tax Reform Bills, 2024 before both chambers of the National Assembly eventually passed the bills,” he said.
The Senate Leader added that the engagements included closed-door meetings, debates, and contributions from civil society groups, religious leaders, professionals, and other stakeholders.
Emphasising that public hearings were also held to allow for broader participation and ensure the reforms met the aspirations of Nigerians, he noted, “We extended our engagements to all captains of industries to enable us pass the tax reform bills that will stand the test of time, meet the needs of our people and ensure the overriding public interest in the exercise of our constitutional mandates”.
Explaining that the National Assembly’s commitment to due process and public interest was evident in its deliberate approach to lawmaking, the lawmaker said,, “At the end of it, we found a way of resolving all issues around the tax reform bills in the overriding public interest.
But people do not know all the efforts and sacrifices we made to ensure the effective delivery of public goods. They were only eager to label us a rubber stamp when the bills came from the executive”.
In addition to the tax legislation, Bamidele referenced the handling of the 2025 Appropriation Act, noting that although the budget was presented to a joint session on December 18, 2024, the final passage did not occur until February 13, 202, well beyond the usual timeline for preserving the January-to-December budget cycle.
He argued that the timeline was further evidence of the Assembly’s independence and its insistence on thorough budget scrutiny, “We did not give the budget back to the executive until February 2025.
“We did a lot of due diligence. Every committee of the National Assembly duly engaged heads of agencies to properly scrutinize the budget also in the overriding public interest,” he said.
Reiterating that the legislature remains focused on good governance and public accountability, the Senate Leader assured that the institution will continue to use legislative tools to uphold transparency and safeguard national development.
“We are working in the interest of the people. We are always taking into consideration the need to ensure good governance in all our undertakings and the need to use legislative frameworks to promote good governance in the federation,” he assured.
