We’re Not An Appendage Of Buhari’s Presidency – Senate Replies Ningi

The Nigerian Senate has dismissed a claim by a former deputy Senate leader, Abdul Ningi, that it is an appendage of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency.

In an interview on Monday, Senate Ajibola Basiru, the spokesperson of the Red Chamber, said the Senate is loyal to Nigerians and not to President Buhari as claimed by Ningi.

Basiru stated that the Senate’s focus has been on impactful legislations which bother on the economy, security and livelihood of Nigerians.

The Senate spokesman was reacting to a statement made by Ningi that the National Assembly was too soft on President Muhammadu Buhari to the detriment of good governance.

During a recent meeting to Bauchi State, Ningi said the National Assembly had failed to challenge the presidency on the issues facing the country to the detriment of good democratic governance.

He explained that during his time in the National Assembly, lawmakers stood up to the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency in 2003 despite the fact that the PDP dominated both chambers of the National Assembly at the time.

Reacting, Ajibola slammed Ningi for insinuating that the Red Chamber was an appendage of the Buhari presidency and pampering the president.

The Senate spokesman expressed surprise that such a comment could come from a ranking senator and former principal officer in the upper legislative Chamber.

He said that the 9th Assembly has been the most successful since the return to civil rule in 1999 and has done a lot within the framework of cooperative bi-partisan legislation.

Ajibola said: “The barometer to gauge a working legislature is not how many times it initiated a futile and failed impeachment procedure against a sitting President but the amount of work it could do within the framework of cooperative bi-partisan legislation.

“The 9th Assembly represents the ever-increasing maturity of Nigeria’s democracy. Our focus has been on impactful legislations which bother on the economy, security and livelihood of Nigerians.”