{"id":119654,"date":"2025-06-12T17:48:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T16:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=119654"},"modified":"2025-06-12T17:48:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T16:48:08","slug":"akpabio-defends-10th-assemblys-achievements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/akpabio-defends-10th-assemblys-achievements\/","title":{"rendered":"Akpabio Defends 10th Assembly\u2019s Achievements\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has dismissed claims that the 10th National Assembly functions merely as a &#8220;rubber stamp&#8221; for the executive, insisting the legislature has played a pivotal role in Nigeria\u2019s democratic journey and national development.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">His comments came during a solemn plenary session marking June 12 Democracy Day on Thursday.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking during a solemn plenary session commemorating June 12 Democracy Day and marking 26 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, Akpabio defended the Assembly\u2019s record and urged Nigerians to &#8220;ignore the critics who do not understand why we are here.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cDemocracy is not a gift, it is a trust we must protect,\u201d he said. \u201cReal governance is not a contest between arms of government, it is a partnership. Where governance is in partnership, progress follows. Where it is in conflict, the people suffer.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Akpabio, delivering a rousing tribute to the heroes of the June 12, 1993 election, described that day as a watershed moment in Nigeria\u2019s political history. He said, &#8221; Nigeria did not just lose an election but lost her innocence\u201d with the annulment of what is widely regarded as the country\u2019s freest and fairest poll.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He called for continued remembrance and national reverence for those who died in the struggle for democracy, proposing the establishment of a June 12 Museum to preserve the stories, artifacts, and sacrifices of the democratic movement.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThey died because they loved Nigeria. They loved her enough to fight for her soul,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Senate President also lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the administration\u2019s bold economic reforms and vision, commending the removal of fuel subsidies, unification of forex markets, tax reforms, and the creation of regional development commissions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThis administration has not shied away from hard decisions, as others did. These efforts are gradually restoring investor confidence and laying the groundwork for long-term prosperity,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Highlighting the performance of the 10th National Assembly, Akpabio revealed that 844 bills have been introduced in just two years and called it an unprecedented figure in Nigeria\u2019s legislative history.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to him, out of these, 96 bills have been passed by the Senate, with 52 already signed into law by the President.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He emphasized that the Assembly has demonstrated renewed vigor in addressing national challenges, citing its decisive work on 26 executive bills and over 100 citizen petitions, including 28 that were fully adopted.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe are not here to rubber-stamp. We are here to work. To deliver. To govern,\u201d Akpabio said, adding that the Assembly\u2019s synergy with the executive arm is a strength, not a weakness.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As the nation reflects on the strides and shortcomings of its democratic journey, Akpabio urged citizens\u00a0 especially young people, civil society, and the media\u00a0 to participate actively in shaping and safeguarding democratic values beyond the ballot box.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cTo the youth, we must not treat you as spectators but as partners. To the media, hold us accountable, but with responsibility. Democracy must not only live on election days; it must live in our daily lives,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Senate chamber, which Akpabio referred to as the \u201cheartbeat of the nation&#8217;s democracy,\u201d welcomed President Tinubu in a symbolic return to the legislative arm where his political journey once began.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tenth National Assembly has been declared by many Nigerians as the worst ever and described it as a hub of &#8220;yes men&#8221; with no minds of their own.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0Overtime, the green and red chambers have left no one in doubt that they are at the whims and caprices of the president. Whatever\u00a0 the President\u00a0 sent for approval gets accelerated passage without scrutiny. No matter how injurious the request is to Nigeria or Nigerians, it is never rejected. This is why it is lebelled as\u00a0 &#8220;rubber stamp legislature&#8221;<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has dismissed claims that the 10th National Assembly functions merely as a &#8220;rubber stamp&#8221; for the executive, insisting the legislature has played a&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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