Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has said the manner in which bills are passed in the Senate suggests that the upper chamber under Godswill Akpabio has become a “rubber-stamp” legislature for the presidency.
Mr Oshiomhole, who is a former Governor of Edo State, and a top member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed concern that many bills are approved in the Senate without proper debate or scrutiny.
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He stated this during the plenary on Tuesday when the lawmakers were considering concurrence bills from the House of Representatives.
The bill is on amending the National Examination Council (NECO) to make it compulsory for secondary school students, and another one seeking the establishment of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies.
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Other concurrence bills the senators were considering at the time were the establishment of the Nigeria Weights and Measures Regulatory Agency and the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria.
They were introduced as concurrence bills and presented by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, in line with the Senate tradition in which such bills often pass first, second, and third readings on the same day, regardless of the issues they address.
In his usual manner, Mr Bamidele presented the four bills together and urged senators to support their passage. They were then referred to the Committee of the Whole for debate, should any lawmaker raise objections.
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However, at the Committee of the Whole stage, no senator opposed the bills, and the majority of them voted in favour when the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, put them to a vote.
But after their passage, Mr Oshiomhole stood up to fault the process, arguing that senators had not been given enough time to read or understand the documents.
He added that the speed at which the bills were approved made the Senate appear as a “rubber stamp” to the executive.
“I’m seriously troubled with the way in which we are going about making these laws. This primary law was distributed just a minute ago. And they are four in number, even if we are wizkids….. because it is done for nothing that the constitution provided for by bicameral.
“We are not meant to rubber-stamp, and the way you are reading this, it’ll take a genius to be able to make a point. We are making laws, sir. I want it to be on record that I am troubled by the way in which we are rushing without details.
“And tomorrow, it’ll be said…that argument between Senator Ndume and our President, you were there, I was not there, you were there, I was not there. If we sit like this tomorrow and I say we don’t know about the law, you’ll say I was in the Senate. I do not see the merit of rushing. I do not see the merit of giving four bills to rubber-stamp. If that was the case, we need unicameral, not bicameral,” he said.
Mr Oshiomhole specifically questioned the relevance of the bill seeking the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria.
“And now on this issue, what is the meaning of training and Nigeria’s development. When we create laws for every training and development, it does not make sense to me. And I don’t have the privilege to read and understand why it should merit the time we are spending on it. With due respect, sir, laws are not motions, and they are supposed to be interpreted by courts of law. So, I’m very troubled,” he added.
Mr Oshiomhole’s comments come amid persistent criticism that the 10th Senate has routinely fast-tracked executive requests and bills with minimal debate and scrutiny.
Since its inauguration in June 2023, the Senate has been accused of prioritising executive convenience over legislative oversight.
Despite the allegations, the Senate, especially the Senate President, Mr Akpabio, has repeatedly denied that it is a rubber-stamp legislature. However, many Nigerians continue to hold that view.
Just a few weeks ago, Mr Akpabio said that the relationship between the Senate and the executive arm of government is frank and firm and would continue to be so regardless of the policies introduced by the administration.
New directive from presiding officer
After Mr Oshiomhole’s complaint, Mr Jibrin instructed the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Titus Zam, to ensure that senators receive draft bills at least two days before they are scheduled for debate.
“Chairman of Rules and Business, please endeavour to give these bills at least two days before they are considered,” he said.
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He explained that concurrence bills are typically fast-tracked because they have already undergone public hearings and other legislative processes in the House of Representatives.
However, the deputy senate president acknowledged the need for the Senate to conduct its own scrutiny.
“The reason why we try to treat bills from the House of Representatives in this manner is because we believe that those bills have gone through all the processes, public hearings and expert input, and so on. But what you said is right. Even at that, we have a bicameral legislature, we also need to put our eyes on whatever goes on,” he said.
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