Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday pushed back against criticisms that the 10th National Assembly is a rubber stamp legislature, saying that collaboration with the executive is essential for national progress.

Speaking during the joint sitting of the National Assembly to mark Democracy Day and welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the chambers, Akpabio said the legislature remains firmly committed to holding the executive accountable while also working together to deliver good governance.

Present at the Chamber were Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Umar Ganduje, Governors of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Others were Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Former Senate Presidents Ahmad Lawan, Bukola Saraki, Anyim Pius Anyim, Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, among others.

Akpabio also called on the president to establish the June 12 museum to archive the works of pro-democracy advocates, some of whom paid the supreme price in the interest of the nation.

While lauding President Tinubu for his achievements in two years, Akpabio noted that those who criticise federal lawmakers have no idea why they are occupying their seats.

He cited examples from across the globe, including the United States, Rwanda, Ghana, and South Africa, where transformative reforms were achieved through executive-legislative synergy.

According to Akpabio, the 10th National Assembly has demonstrated renewed rigour in addressing Nigeria’s pressing challenges through purposeful legislation.

He disclosed that a total of 844 bills have been introduced in just two years, with 96 already passed and 52 signed into law by President Tinubu.

Akpabio described the National Assembly as the bastion of democracy and welcomed Tinubu, a veteran of the trenches and a symbol of democratic resistance, back to the chamber where he once served as a senator.

Reflecting on June 12, 1993, Akpabio honoured the sacrifices made by pro-democracy heroes.

He stated that the annulment of that year’s presidential election marked a national loss of innocence but also ignited a renewed struggle for justice.

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, called for the institutionalization of an annual presidential address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on Democracy Day.

The Speaker urged President Tinubu to make the engagement a yearly tradition to deepen executive-legislative collaboration and reinforce democratic accountability.

“Mr President, permit me one final, earnest appeal. Today’s ceremony has been truly magnificent, and you have achieved what past Assemblies could only dream of: an annual address by the President to a joint session of the National Assembly. By accepting our invitation, you have made history. I respectfully urge that we now institutionalise this address as an annual event.”

Abbas, while reflecting on the symbolic weight of the moment, said the President’s presence underscored his democratic credentials, tracing Tinubu’s journey from the NADECO struggle against military rule to the presidency under the Renewed Hope Agenda.