Lawan: we're not a rubber stamp Assembly

• Published date: 10 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said that the ninth National Assembly did not operate like a rubber stamp in its collaborations with the executive.

He said the Assembly had passed many difficult and complicated legislations because President Muhammadu Buhari gave them all the support they needed to do their work.

The Senate President spoke on Monday in Damaturu, Yobe State at a banquet held in honour of President Buhari on first day of his two-day official visit to the state.

Lawan, according to a statement by his Special Adviser (Media), Ola Awoniyi, in Abuja, said: 'Your Excellency, today by the Grace of God, it is almost three and half years that I have been working with you as Senate President.

'In all my years in the National Assembly, I have never worked with any President who never asked that he wanted things done a certain way but I want to admit here that Mr President, you have never asked me to do anything. You believe we should do what is best for our country.

'And when I said that we will continue to work with the executive arm of government, ensuring that the national interest is always our guide and focus, our opposition took me out of context.

'Some of them started writing that we are rubber stamp, that whatever is brought to National Assembly will be approved. I want to say here, that President Muhammadu Buhari never asked anything that is not in the national interest.

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'And at the risk of being misquoted by the press, we all know who our President is. Before he became President and while he is still President. Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria is his focus, his concern. And that is why we believe that we should continue to work with him.We should support him.

'And in the ninth National Assembly, we have supported the executive arm of government fully because we believe this is one President, one administration, one government that has come to deliver Nigeria, from what happened in 16 years, from mis-governance by, of course, the PDP.

'Today, Mr President, I am proud to say that we have achieved so much working with you in the ninth National Assembly.

'We have passed the most difficult Bills, we have passed the most complicated legislations. This is because you gave us all the support that we needed to do our work in the National Assembly.'

Lawan thanked the President for making Yobe State to witness so much development during his tenure.

He also urged the President to consider establishment of...