Send us packing from National Assembly in 2023 if we failed to meet your expectations, Senate President tells Nigerians

The Nigerian Senate President Ahmad Lawan, has called on the citizens to send all redundant lawmakers in the ninth assembly packing through the ballot in the coming 2023 general elections in the country

Penpushing reports that, Lawan made the call on Friday while speaking at a retreat for top management staff of the National Assembly and National Assembly Service Commission in Abuja.

The Senate President emphasized that on need for unsatisfied Nigerians to “change the set of lawmakers”, and faulted Nigerians who demand for the details of the implementation of the National Assembly’s budget rather than the work the lawmakers do.

Penpushing further reports that, Lawan posited that, rather than calling for the scrapping of the Senate or National Assembly and debating the jumbo pay of lawmakers, said Nigerians should ask for what they think they (lawmakers) should be doing better.

“Do you understand the implications of if we close the senate? Not because I am in the senate. The senate is a leveller because in the house of representatives, population is major – that is why some states will have five, six members and others have up to 20. So, if you say “close the senate”, there will be a day when people will cry foul’.

“But in the senate, what Kano produces is what Bayelsa will produce. Three  senators in Kano and three senators in Bayelsa, so that stabilises the system. In a budget of N13 trillion the national assembly will get about N125 billion to N128 billion, what percentage is that? So where is the remaining 99 per cent.”

“I’m not here to defend the national assembly but I’m here to encourage the debate on what it means to us as country. If you don’t like the set of members in the ninth national assembly, change all of us in 2023. Get better people. Let’s support the system to function,” he said.

The Senate boss  further explained that without the national assembly and the legislature across the country, democracy is absent, stressing that the value of the legislature and national assembly to Nigerians is democracy.

Penpushing also reports that, the Senate President pointed out that, ‘and if you take out the legislature, it might not be a dictatorship but certainly not a democracy’.

Meanwhile, the reaction of Lawan comes about a month after Nigerians took to the street to demand an end to police brutality in particular and bad governance in general, as well as on the heels of criticism from individuals and civic groups of Nigerian leaders including lawmakers.

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