Renowned political scientist Professor Jibrin Ibrahim has traced the evolution of executive-legislative ties in the federal government, focusing on the efforts of early democratic leaders to influence the National Assembly’s leadership appointments.
On Sunday, July 12, 2026, the political analyst reflected on the development of democracy in Nigeria and, in a video uploaded to the official SYMFONI YouTube channel, he or she outlined the fierce institutional power battles that were characteristic of the Fourth Republic.
The pundit reflected on the tenacity of the first legislators, who, in accordance with the separation of powers principle, refused to let the executive branch meddle from the presidential mansion.
“I remember in 1999 when we started, the former President, General Olusegun Obasanjo, tried very hard to control the National Assembly and impose Senate Presidents and Speakers throughout the eight-year period he was in power. However, the National Assembly fought very hard, won its liberty against President Obasanjo’s control, and became a proper counterweight,” he said during the interview. According to him,
According to the scholar, this past opposition was crucial in preventing the president from becoming a docile civilian dictatorship through exercising total control over the legislature and so establishing democratic checks and balances.
Legislators nowadays often sign executive laws without holding comprehensive constitutional debates or performing rigorous analytical supervision, he said, severely undermining the hard-won autonomy that previous legislative chambers had established within modern governance institutions.
As he wrapped up his speech, the professor emphasised the need of present lawmakers asserting their constitutionally-guaranteed independence, saying that a weak parliament would allow executive irresponsibility to jeopardise the future of democracy in the country……See More
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