Saraki Alleges Executive Interference During Tenure as Senate President

The former Senate President, Bukola Saraki delivered a scathing reflection on his tumultuous tenure, alleging that the 8th National Assembly was relentlessly harassed and undermined by the executive arm of government.

Speaking at the 2025 Reunion Gala of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA), Saraki didn’t hold back as he recounted the power struggles and political hostilities that, according to him, crippled the legislature under his leadership from 2015 to 2019.

“The legislature is not a subordinate of the executive. It is an independent institution designed to make laws, provide oversight, and represent the people,” Saraki stated, in remarks shared by his spokesperson, Yusuf Olaniyonu. “But during my time, we were silenced, harassed, assaulted, bullied, and blackmailed.”

Saraki claimed that efforts to pass impactful legislation were repeatedly obstructed by the presidency, particularly under then-President Muhammadu Buhari. He alleged that the executive deliberately frustrated bills and initiatives that could have benefited the country, all in the name of political rivalry and control.

“If I had simply said yes to everything Buhari wanted, I would have been praised as a loyal ally,” Saraki said. “But I chose principle over convenience. I asked questions about loans. I challenged opaque decisions. And for that, I was targeted.”

He pointed to a lack of public outcry during those years, saying that both the political elite and everyday Nigerians turned a blind eye to the legislative clampdown. “We were like orphans,” he lamented. “The silence of the people back then is the reason the current National Assembly is afraid to stand its ground today. Nobody wants to go through what I went through.”

Saraki argued that Nigeria’s governance crisis is rooted in weak institutions and visionless leadership. He criticised elected officials who, in his view, enter office without clear plans and end up depending on recycled proposals from opportunists he described as “government scammers.”

“Our leaders often govern on impulse. They arrive unprepared and latch onto worn-out ideas sold by the same set of people who have learned to navigate power corridors across administrations,” he said.

Saraki’s political rise — including his defiance of the APC leadership in 2015 to clinch the Senate presidency with opposition support — marked the beginning of a rocky relationship with the Buhari-led executive. His term was dogged by court cases and political attacks, many of which he believes were orchestrated as retaliation for his independence.

Reflecting on the public’s renewed praise for his leadership compared to the current legislature, Saraki dismissed the sentiment as too little, too late.