The National and State Assemblies were inaugurated on Tuesday, May 13, 2023, in a ceremony that went above and above the customary ceremony that brings in legislators at the start of each four-year term of a democratic government. It was an inauguration that came along with it some peculiarities that were not only noticeable but have also already formed the basis on which critical assessments of the performances of the law-making bodies with a view to validating or nullifying the reason(s) for each of the diverse conclusions on the assemblies can be duly made.
All the intrigues that preceded the emergence of the new leaders of, particularly, the National Assembly were both an extension of all kinds of politics–partisan, religious, ethnic and sectional—as well as a clear proof of the exceptional significance of the legislature to democratic governance. Intensive manipulation of sentiments, similar to the type that characterized the earlier phases of the entire electioneering, was obviously the most preferred strategy of almost all the numerous individuals and groups that relentlessly vied for one position or another.
Even with the open declaration of interest in Senator Godswill Akpabio and Right Honourable Tajuddeen Abbas for the presidency of the Senate and the Speakership of the House of Representatives respectively, by both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu , which is a familiar tradition, some defiant elements consistently pushed forward their demands for those positions. It was a contest that was not only fierce and protracted, but also a manifestation of the conflicting interests among the existing political sub-groups in Nigeria.
The conclusion of the process for the emergence of the National Assembly leadership which is the take-off point for the lawmakers is really a matter of tremendous importance to concerned Nigerians, especially considering the fact that the attendant rancor grossly subsided towards the end of the contest. All the varied impressions and the resultant dispositions of the citizens to all the issues about that particular competition have now been reduced to a fundamental desire for an effective discharge of responsibility by the federal legislature.
There is, in fact, the expectation that the current tenth National Assembly will fully reflect on the trajectory of law-making in the country for the purpose of the proper identification of the flaws that were rightly or wrongly associated with the past processes and systems. The fast-growing recognition of the compelling need for the maximum observance of democratic principles is re-enforcing the agitation for the existence of a legislature that can satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians.
Quite apparently, much of the blame for the low application of the principles of democracy in the course of governance at all levels in the country is directed at the lawmakers, most of whom are always accused of a corresponding low discharge of their basic legislative duties as a result of which assemblies have become appendages of the executive rather than independent bodies. There have always been complaints about the poor quality, in terms of knowledge and/or patriotism, of a lot of the members, which makes it abundantly easy for them to compromise.