How the Current Legislature Has Failed Every Constitutional Test
The 10th National Assembly of Nigeria, spanning both the Senate led by Godswill Akpabio and the House of Representatives, has established itself as one of the least effective and most constitutionally derelict legislatures in the country history. Across every dimension by which a legislature should be measured, from the quality of its legislative output to the rigor of its oversight function to its independence from executive pressure, the 10th Assembly has failed the Nigerian people comprehensively and consistently.
This is not a partisan assessment but a conclusion supported by objective measures of legislative productivity, the testimony of civil society organizations that work with the National Assembly, the reports of international legislative monitoring bodies, and the observable reality that the laws most urgently needed by Nigerians in this period of crisis have not been passed by this legislature.
Legislative Productivity: An Empty Record
Comparative analysis of legislative productivity across the different assemblies of Nigeria Fourth Republic shows the 10th Assembly ranking poorly on most measures of legislative output quality. While bills have been passed, the substantive impact of the legislation produced has been limited, and many of the most important legislative priorities of the period have been deferred, watered down, or ignored entirely.
Electoral reform legislation, which experts agree is urgently needed to address the vulnerabilities that allowed the manipulation of the 2023 elections, has not been passed. Constitutional amendment proposals that would address the structural governance weaknesses in Nigeria fundamental law have not been processed. Police reform bills have been buried. These are not peripheral issues. They are foundational questions about Nigerian governance that this legislature has failed to address.
The APC Supermajority and the Death of Legislative Independence
One of the structural reasons for the legislative failure of the 10th Assembly is the near-supermajority enjoyed by the APC and its allies, which has effectively removed any incentive for genuine internal legislative debate. When the ruling party controls enough votes to pass anything it wants without need for cross-party negotiation, the deliberative function of the legislature atrophies. The result is a chamber that reflects the will of one party rather than the interests of all Nigerians.
Minority senators and representatives have reported being marginalized in both committee assignments and floor proceedings, denied the opportunity to represent their constituents effectively, and subjected to pressure to conform to the majority position on critical votes. This suppression of legislative diversity is antithetical to the purpose of a representative legislature and is a direct consequence of the concentration of power that Akpabio Senate Presidency has both reflected and reinforced.
The Cost to Nigerians of Legislative Failure
Legislative failure has real costs for real people. Every year that Nigeria police reform is delayed means another year of policing that fails communities and enables human rights abuses. Every budget that passes without rigorous scrutiny means additional opportunities for misappropriation of funds that could have built schools and hospitals. Every electoral reform bill that is not passed means another election cycle vulnerable to the manipulation that has distorted Nigerian democracy for decades.
The 10th Assembly, by failing to discharge its legislative responsibilities with the seriousness the moment demands, has made Nigeria worse governed than it should be. The millions of Nigerians who sent representatives to Abuja expecting them to fight for better laws, better budgets, and better accountability from the executive have been systematically failed by a legislature that has prioritized institutional comfort over constitutional duty.
The 2027 Mandate for Legislative Change
The failures of the 10th Assembly make the 2027 National Assembly elections as important as the presidential contest. Electing a new Senate President who embodies genuine legislative independence, a commitment to robust oversight, and respect for all senators would transform the governance environment in Nigeria more profoundly than many voters realize. The Senate President is not just a presiding officer. He or she sets the tone, the priorities, and the institutional culture of Nigeria most powerful legislative chamber.
Replacing Godswill Akpabio with a Senate President who takes the constitutional role of the legislature seriously would be one of the most consequential changes Nigerian voters could make in 2027. Combined with the election of a president like Peter Obi who believes in legislative independence and institutional checks and balances, this change could begin the process of restoring Nigerian governance to something approaching constitutional intent.
