The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), in the Red Chamber, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has criticised the National Assembly for failing to effectively perform its constitutional duty of checking executive excesses, describing the legislature as a “cooperating arm” of the Executive rather than an independent institution providing oversight and accountability.
“I don’t think the Senate is performing its constitutional role effectively as a check on executive power, because most of what the executive does… I know the people stand and complain and blame the presidency for a lot of things, but they wouldn’t really do them if we didn’t let them.
“Unfortunately, we are a cooperating arm of the Executive,” she said.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Kingibe denied personally endorsing the committee report that recommended the Kogi Central lawmaker’s suspension. She said she neither saw nor reviewed the report before it was submitted, explaining that she attended the committee meeting briefly before leaving for a tax reform retreat.
“I did tell everybody that I was not there. I wasn’t there. I was in the retreat with him. He came to meet me there, and when I heard about the report, I said, ‘But we were here.’
“We went—myself and three or four other senators that were on that committee—we went to the committee of petitions, public complaints and petitions, and we signed attendance. And I left to go to the tax reform retreat because that, I felt, was much more important. It affects my constituents much more than disciplining a senator. And I figured that the other people who were not part of that committee would take care of it.”
While acknowledging that a photocopy of her signature appeared on the document, she maintained that she did not sign the report itself and disclosed that she had complained to Senate leadership about not being given access to it.
“I even complained to other senators, specifically Senator Barau, I complained to him very bitterly that I have not seen that report. I didn’t see it then, I have not seen it till now. But I did not say anybody forged my signature.
“I couldn’t have endorsed the committee report, I didn’t see it,” she insisted.
Questioning Senate procedures, Senator Kingibe said lawmakers should review reports before signing them, insisting she never saw the report recommending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension despite her signature appearing on it.
“The truth of the matter is there are many, many things that I feel should not be the way they are. Number one, I feel that we should be given reports to read when they are ready, and then we sign them. Not that the reports are written and then they’re just… sometimes we’re just given to sign.
“It is unlikely that I signed without being aware that was what I was signing. We’re supposed to read the report to then sign it. A photocopy of my signature is on it,” she insisted.
On Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, Kingibe said Senate transparency and accountability could be improved, adding that such disputes are often resolved through apologies rather than prolonged disciplinary measures.
“It can be definitely improved on. And truly, before now, every senator that has had a problem has been suspended for three months. But by the same token, every time any senator is out of order, being out of order ends as soon as you say, ‘Distinguished colleagues, I apologize for being out of order.’ I have apologized after throwing a tantrum. Senator Ndume does it all the time, and we don’t get suspended because immediately we are done, we realize that we have contravened the laws and rule of that particular place that we chose to be part of. And we do the necessary thing by apologising and it’s over.
“It took as long as it did because it was absolutely unnecessary. Senator Natasha could have apologised,” Senator Kingibe said.
Speaking on the place of women in politics, Senator Kingibe said female lawmakers are not given enough space to grow and called for reforms in Senate procedures.
“We’re just not given as much space to grow. There are lots of times when our signature papers are used. And it’s one of the reforms I think that the Senate should embark on,” she urged.
Sharing her reaction to the recent Federal High Court’s ruling against the ADC, Kingibe said she remained confident the party would stay on the ballot, while also urging members and constituents to stay calm as there was no cause for alarm.
“I wasn’t bothered because I know that come rain or shine, we are going to go to the polls. As long as this is a democracy, you cannot de-register what I consider the second largest opposition party—or at least one of them. And so I just knew that whatever it took, we would be on the ballot. And I put out a message. I sent it to all the ADC people, all my constituents in the FCT, telling them to be calm, there’s no cause for alarm, everything is fine, we’re on course,” she revealed.
Speaking on political tensions ahead of 2027, the senator said public frustration is driven by hardship rather than opposition activity, urging government to focus on addressing citizens’ challenges instead of limiting political competition.
“They’re not looking at the real problem. The problem isn’t the opposition parties; the problem is the people themselves. They have been under serious, serious difficulties. So it’s not about opposition. Even if we’re not on the ballot, the people will cause so much mayhem because they want an option. That’s the truth. And I think that the government’s energy might be better spent trying to look at the issues and how they can be fixed, as opposed to trying to prevent anybody from running in the race with you.”
Highlighting her unfinished legislative agenda, Senator Kingibe cited the Tenancy Bill and gender inclusion reforms, while stressing ongoing hardship and marginalisation among FCT residents.
“There were many bills I would have liked to have passed, like the Tenancy Bill is ready, not passed. The 35% gender inclusion in everything needs to go to second reading and third reading. So there are lots of legislative issues, but more importantly, the people of the FCT feel really pained and marginalized,” she noted.
Adding, the senator urged a shift from short-term political handouts to addressing fundamental governance issues, arguing that the FCT should reflect strong service delivery as the seat of government.
“The success of any government is measured by the well-being of the people you’re governing. We need to look at the fundamentals. What are the issues? What do we need to fix ASAP? Going to distribute small amounts of money, or even rice and spaghetti just before the election is not going to cut it this time. They need so many other things that I’m unable to give to them, but that the administrator and the executive arm can easily give to them. The FCT should be the showcase for the presidency because this is the seat of his government,” she urged.
Favour Odima
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