A Nigerian professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has slammed the Nigerian legislature for watching the country drift aimlessly under President Bola Tinubu without offering option.
Utomi spoke in Kano State shortly after consoling with the families of the late 8th Speaker of the National Assembly, Ghali Umar Na’Abba, who passed on recently.
Describing the current Nigeria’s legislature as “rubber stamp”, he, however, noted that Na’Abba represents all Nigerians at the time there was an independent legislature.
He said, “Late Honourable Ghali Umar Na’Abba represents all Nigerians at the season at which we have an independent legislature that government policy could be aligned to service to the people.
“Today we don’t have a legislature,” Utomi said, noting that “I can say that without even batting an eyelid. We have a rubber stamp legislatures that are watching the country drift aimlessly and are not offering options.”
On the contrary, he said “Honourable Ghali Na’Abba did offer that when he was the Speaker of the National Assembly.”
He explained that during his days as speaker, “We collaborated with him back in those days from civil society, from direct action, we stood by him to ensure that we have a working system.
“Many years afterwards as we saw the drift, we thought that we needed to create a different way to save the country.”
The renowned professor of political economy noted that the desire of all true nationalists was to lift the spirit of late Na’Abba and make it part of the rallying point for rebuilding Nigeria for the good of all.
Recalled that Utomi, had prior to the 2023 general elections called for for a “third force” because the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had failed Nigerians.
He had then said that the #EndSARS experience stirred the youths to desire a change in narrative, adding that the increased awareness and voter registration showed that providence had given Nigerians the opportunity to take back their country.
He later anchored their force on Labour Party, which the former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, later became the presidential candidate during the last election.
