Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South South Senatorial District, has expressed deep concern over the diminishing role of Nigeria’s National Assembly, particularly the Senate, which he described as increasingly becoming an approving institution that offers unquestioned support to the executive branch.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, Ndume lamented that the Senate no longer fulfills its constitutional duty as a deliberative chamber. “It has become less democratic, and it is very unfortunate,” he said, stressing that the Senate historically was meant to be a house where policies, government actions, and spending are thoroughly debated. Instead, he observed, it now largely rubber-stamps executive decisions without critical scrutiny.
Ndume also highlighted the erosion of the separation of powers among the executive, legislature, and judiciary, noting that government functions have become personalized and privatized. He expressed personal frustration at being out of the loop on key developments within the chamber, underscoring a lack of transparency and inclusiveness even among senators themselves.
On foreign policy, Ndume criticized the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a major diplomatic failure under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. He suggested that intervention by elder statesmen such as Muhammadu Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo, and others might have averted the crisis.
The senator’s remarks underscore growing concerns about the weakening of Nigeria’s democratic institutions and the need for the National Assembly to reclaim its oversight and legislative responsibilities to maintain a balanced governance structure.
