Senate President Godswill Akpabio says lawmakers were elected to cooperate with the executive for the progress of Nigeria, not confront it.
Akpabio made the remarks in a feature documentary set to mark two years of the Bola Tinubu administration.
He said legislators are not elected to fight the president, but to work across party lines for national progress.
Akpabio insisted that legislators were elected to make laws that advance the nation’s interest, not to act as political antagonists.
“When elected into the National Assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves. It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria,” Akpabio was quoted in a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
The Senate President said the cordial relationship between the national assembly and the presidency over the past two years is rooted in a shared commitment to development.
“If you spend all your energy fighting the executive, who will work for Nigeria?” he asked.
Akpabio noted that the current administration is the first in Nigeria’s history where the president, vice-president, and first lady are all former senators.
He said the legislature is backing efforts to revitalise the economy through local production and job creation.
“We have started the bill for enacting legislation to enable us first purchase automobiles from Nigerian companies before thinking of importing them,” he said.
“We lose billions of dollars annually importing vehicles and other items that can be produced locally.”
