Abuja, Nigeria — Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has delivered a scathing critique of the Nigerian Senate, alleging that it has abdicated its core responsibilities as a deliberative institution and has instead become a rubber-stamp body for the executive arm of government.

Speaking on Tuesday, the veteran lawmaker lamented what he described as the declining democratic role of the Senate, warning that the institution is drifting away from its constitutional mandate.

 “The Senate is supposed to be a house of deliberation, where policies, actions, and government spending are thoroughly debated,” Ndume said. “But we’re no longer doing that. We’ve become an approving institution, offering necessary and unnecessary support to the executive.”

Ndume accused the Senate of operating with diminished transparency, noting that even some members are often kept in the dark regarding key legislative activities and decisions. He warned that the erosion of legislative independence threatens the principles of separation of powers and undermines public trust in governance.

“Government has, to an extent, been personalized and privatized,” he added, stressing that the centralization of power within the executive undermines democratic accountability.

The senator also addressed Nigeria’s waning influence within the West African sub-region, criticizing the recent withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a diplomatic blunder. He called the development a significant failure on the part of President Bola Tinubu, who until recently served as ECOWAS Chairman.

Ndume suggested that the outcome might have been different had respected elder statesmen, including former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Yakubu Gowon, and former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, intervened earlier to mediate the crisis.

His comments come amid growing concerns about democratic backsliding, legislative complacency, and Nigeria’s regional leadership at a time of heightened political uncertainty across West Africa.

As debate over the Senate’s independence intensifies, Ndume’s blunt assessment has reignited calls for institutional reform and a reassertion of parliamentary oversight in Nigeria’s democratic system.

By Daily Observer

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