N’Assembly not Buhari’s Rubber Stamp, Senate Replies Ex-deputy Leader

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate has described as a fallacy the allegation by a former Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi, that the National Assembly is a rubber stamp of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
The Chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sani Musa, in a statement in Abuja insisted that Ningi was biased with his claims.
Musa (APC Niger East) maintained that the former Deputy Senate Leader, who should understand the workings of the National Assembly more than other Nigerian, got it wrong, 
Ningi was reported in some dailies to have described the ninth National Assembly led by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, as Chairman “a rubber stamp of the Presidency”.
But Musa explained that the ninth Senate and by extension, National Assembly, had in line with its legislative agenda, constructively engaged the executive arm of government in giving Nigerians good governance.
Musa maintained that the National Assembly remains committed to serving the interest of Nigerians in the discharge of its constitutional duties.
He said no amount of name-calling by critics would deter the Senate from considering and passing pro-people legislations needed for the development and advancement of the country.  
He noted that Nigeria has three arms of government that are constitutionally equal but that the people are heavily represented at the legislature than the other arms.
Musa added that for the peace and development of the nation, the three arms of government must work together as the failure and success of one arm of government would be attributed to all.
According to him, the legislature, being the first arm of government constitutionally, the closest as well as the most accessible by the people, easily lends itself to public scrutiny and sometimes take the blame even for government decisions that fall outside its legislative competence.
Musa explained that the three arms of government have a responsibility to each other and an obligation to Nigerians.
He said they therefore have a cordial relationship based on mutual respect for constitutional rights and mandate to succeed.
He said that for the fact that the ninth Senate is not confrontational or fighting the Executive must not be misconstrued for being a rubber stamp Senate.
Musa said: “Through constructive collaboration with the executive arm of government, the yearly budget cycle has been restored to January to December.
“We have passed the Petroleum Industry Bill into an Act after many years of failure, amended the Electoral Law and engaging the state legislature on the 1999 Constitution Amendment bill. 
“These are aside numerous other bills and motions sponsored, debated and considered for the good of the generality of Nigerians.
“The current ninth National Assembly is the most successful in law making since the return to civil rule in 1999 and we remained committed to serving the interest of Nigerians in the discharge of its constitutional duties. 

“No amount of name-calling by critics would deter the upper chamber from considering and passing pro-people legislations needed for the development and advancement of the country.”

He advised the former principal officer of the Senate not to drag the legislative institution into the mud with his claims.
“Ningi’s claims about the ninth National Assembly being a rubber stamp to the executive arm of government is therefore nothing but a fallacy from a biased mind,” Musa added.