June 12 – Saraki: A legislature that cannot refuse the executive is irrelevant.

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki said that a legislature that cannot say no to the executive is irrelevant.

He made the remark on Friday, in the June 12, 2026 edition of “The Platform” aired on Channels Television.

Saraki warned that a legislature which merely receives executive proposals, approves them without scrutiny, and then leaves is not fulfilling its constitutional mandate.

He added that Parliament should be a forum where a divided country can debate without breaking, regardless of one’s background.

“So, what I learned in those four years in the National Assembly as Senate President is that a legislature that cannot say no is not a legislature at all,” he said.

“A legislature which simply receives, accepts proposals, approves them without scrutiny, and goes home, has not fulfilled its constitutional mandate.”

“The independence of the National Assembly is not rebellion against the government of the day. I say that so loud, having been a victim.”

“We’re talking about how those institutions can do what they are meant to do in providing the mandate, because if the National Assembly is independent, it’s a very great thing that makes the government legitimate, because a mandate that is never tested is a man that no one can trust,” he added.