Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has revealed that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari deliberately blocked and frustrated several important bills and legislative initiatives during his time leading the 8th National Assembly.
Speaking at the 2025 Reunion Gala of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) in Houston, Texas, Saraki opened up about the challenges he faced between 2015 and 2019. He accused the Buhari-led presidency of constant harassment, political interference, and a lack of respect for the legislative arm of government.
According to Saraki, “The legislature is an institution created to make laws, oversee the executive, and represent the people.” He stressed that a true legislative leader must be bold and ready to speak truth to power.
He stated that during his time in office, the National Assembly was treated with hostility by the executive, making it extremely difficult to pass bills that could have benefitted Nigerians.
“The legislature under my leadership was silenced, harassed, assaulted, bullied, and blackmailed,” Saraki said. “We were like orphans. The executive deliberately frustrated the passage of good laws and blocked useful recommendations.”
Saraki also expressed disappointment in the Nigerian public, accusing citizens of staying silent during the attacks on the legislature. “The elite and ordinary people kept quiet. Now, future leaders in the National Assembly would rather play safe and be a rubber stamp, just to avoid what I went through.”
He mentioned one key bill—an amendment to the Public Procurement Act—which aimed to promote the use of Nigerian-made goods and services. According to him, the bill was blocked for political reasons linked to the 2019 election period.
“If I had agreed with everything the Presidency under Buhari wanted, I would have been praised as a loyalist,” he said. “But I refused to be a puppet.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s broader leadership problems, Saraki criticized the lack of vision among many elected leaders. He said too many officials rely on recycled ideas and “government scammers” who offer no real solutions.
“This is a big failure of followership, and it enables weak leadership. Our institutions are too weak because we focus on building strong individuals instead of building strong systems,” he added.
Saraki’s tense relationship with the Buhari administration began in 2015, when he defied the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge as Senate President with support from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His tenure was marked by frequent legal battles, widely believed to be politically motivated.
After eventually defecting to the PDP, the APC made several unsuccessful attempts to remove him from office.
Saraki’s latest remarks have reignited public debate about the independence of Nigeria’s legislative arm and the need for stronger institutions to ensure checks and balances in governance.
