Senators had a sobering day yesterday when outgoing Senate President Bukola Saraki adjourned the Eighth Senate sine die after a six-hour valedictory session.
The session gave the senators the opportunity to reel out what they did in their four-year stay at the upper chamber.
Saraki, who capped the session with a 39-paragraph speech, gave conditions for harmonious relationship between the Legislature and the Executive.
The outgoing Senate President said the invasion of the National Assembly by armed security operatives last August would be remembered for its negative impact.
He said though the day of the invasion was his saddest “but in many ways it was also a good day for asserting the independence of the legislature and the triumph of democracy”.
Saraki recalled that it also turned out to be a showcase of the special relationship between the Senate and the House, as members stood in unison with their Senate colleagues in defiance of the invaders.
“I thank the House of Representatives, for the remarkable unity of the two chambers of the eighth National Assembly, for it was only in unity that we could withstand the storm,” he said.
Read also: 8th Senate adjourns indefinitely as Saraki bows out
On how to foster Executive-Legislature smooth relationship, Saraki said: “It is also important that I make some comments about Legislature-Executive relations. My own take is that if the Executive sees the National Assembly’s work on the budget as interference, despite the provision of the constitution, then there will continue to be problems between both arms of government.
“If the Presidency refuses to have engagements and consultations with the leadership of the National Assembly before the President submits the budget to the legislature, then there will continue to be frictions.
“If the Executive sees the failure of a few of its appointees to secure confirmation by the Senate as a disagreement, then the relationship will not improve.
“If the Executive encourages its appointees who fail to secure Senate confirmation to remain in office, then there will continue to be disagreement.
“If the Executive believes the Legislature is a rubberstamp without the right to question its actions, then it will be a subversion of the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances.
“My advice is that both arms of government have a role to play in our quest for good governance and their leadership should work for co-operation and fruitful engagement.”
On how to define the eighth Senate, Saraki said: “We can define ourselves by the record number of bills passed, motions cleared, resolutions adopted, petitions treated.
“We can also define ourselves by the belief that we fought for democracy, held government to account and made personal sacrifices. For some of us, sacrifices are still being made, owing to the fallouts of some of the decisions taken.
“I have no regrets because, as first among equals, we bear collective responsibility for those decisions. As a leader, however, I take responsibility. The buck stops with me.
“In doing all that we did in this chamber, we always used to believe that poverty knew no party, religion, tribe or region. We came together in response to the needs of Nigerians and we got the job done. It will be said of us that we were truly representatives of all our constituents.
“As we conclude the last plenary and the few more days of the eighth Senate, therefore, we should nurture the relationships we have built.”
The outgoing Senate President noted that it should be a matter of pride for the 109 senators and to their offspring that “in this chamber, we put humanity first”.
He added: “I will always be proud of the humaneness of the eighth Senate. Ours has been legislature with a human face, the personal touch moved by the milk of human kindness.
“Whenever the situation demanded, we left the imposing edifice of the National Assembly to reach out to the person on the street. We showed that parliament belongs to the people and that there should be no barrier between lawmakers and those they represent.”
Saraki thanked his colleagues for their contributions towards making the eighth Senate “the historic Senate that it is”.
“When I think of the many trials and tribulations we have faced as an institution, and my own personal travails, particularly at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), I am humbled, because none of our achievements would have been possible without the support and cooperation of members of this chamber.”
Saraki, who predicted his successor, said the incoming senators should accord the same respect they gave him to either Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan or former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, whoever becomes the President of the ninth Senate.
On Lawan and Ndume, he said, “I thank Majority Leader Ahmed Lawan; you have made your mark here and the record reflects it. I also thank former Majority Leader Ali Ndume; you also made your mark.
“Between the former Majority Leader and the current one, it is clear that one of you will be President of the Senate. Whoever emerges, I wish you the very best of luck. This I know: whatever the capacity, we should always do our best to serve the interest of the people. We should also have it at the back of our minds that power is transient.”
Other senators who spoke at the session include Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, former Senate President David Mark, Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan, Minority Leader Biodun Olujimi, Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye and Abdullahi Adamu.
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