Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has taken a savage swipe at the 10th National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of abandoning their constitutional duties in favour of blind loyalty to President Bola Tinubu.
In an interview with The Sun, Dalung didn’t mince words, claiming the Assembly isn’t just a “rubber stamp” but has become a full-on choir for the President.
“I disagree with those calling it a rubber stamp. This 10th Assembly is a band of choristers for the president,” he said. “Anytime Tinubu steps into the chamber, they behave like excited grandchildren welcoming their grandfather. They burst into songs.”
Dalung even claimed he once heard lawmakers singing what sounded like a loyalty anthem. “The last one they sang, I had a problem with my ears. What I heard was: ‘On your dollar we shall stand. On your dollar, Tinubu, on your dollar we shall stand.’ Everyone was singing and dancing. Others claimed they heard something different, but that’s what I heard,” he added.
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According to him, this level of submission is dangerous and could lead to serious constitutional breaches. “I’m afraid that this 10th Assembly may wake up one day and, with a voice vote, amend the constitution and appoint Tinubu as life president of Nigeria,” he warned.
Dalung didn’t spare Senate President Godswill Akpabio either, accusing him of overseeing a process where critical national decisions can be passed without scrutiny. “Akpabio might just walk in one day and say, ‘We have a report that the constitution now appoints Tinubu as life president. Those in favour say aye.’ Before anyone could raise an objection, he would strike the gavel and declare, ‘the ayes have it.’ That’s the kind of National Assembly we are dealing with.”
He rounded off by saying that calling them rubber stamps was too generous. “This Assembly doesn’t need anything on the table. Even a dream or a whisper from Tinubu is enough to spark legislative action. They are not rubber stamps; they are ‘Emi Lokan’ choristers.”
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