A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Nwaka, has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for choosing to address Nigerians from the hallowed Chambers of National Assembly in commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day. “This gesture speaks volumes about the president's recognition that the parliament is the fulcrum of democracy,” Nwaka said in a statement made available to News Express.

According to him, “The executive arm of government cannot spend a dime from the public coffers without the approval of the parliament. In the same vein, it is the legislature that is invested with the right to overrule the highest court of the land through a new legislation.

“Against this backdrop, it's indeed fitting that the presidential address on June 12, 2025 will happen at the National Assembly, more so as the president started his political journey as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The Abia-born political heavyweight and lawyer, who served with the president in the Third Republic Senate, spoke of his pride that “our class produced the current president of Nigeria.”

Senator Nwaka expressed the hope “that the President would seize the moment to honour the presiding officers of the Third Republic National Assembly, namely: Senator Ameh Ebute, Senator Albert Legogie (God rest his soul), Rt. Honourable Agunwa Anaekwe and Rt. Hon. Musa, among others, bearing in mind that they resisted the plans by the military to use the legislature to legitimise the annulment of June 12 presidential election.”

Senator Ameh Ebute was the Senate President with Senator Albert Legogie as his Deputy, while Rt. Hon Agunwa Anaekwe was the Speaker of the House of Representatives with Rt. Hon. Musa Kwankwaso as his Deputy.

Nwaka himself was on his way to Lagos to attend the meeting of the proscribed National Assembly aimed at reconvening the Assembly when he was arrested at Ikeja Airport by personnel of the Department of State Security (DSS). He was detained at the DSS Shangisha office and later moved to their Awolowo Road Lagos Head Office, from where he was released.

The seasoned politician and political administrator recalled that President Tinubu was among the Senators who were arrested and remanded in prison custody for their efforts to reconvene the National Assembly. “For their democratic credentials, members of the 3rd Republic National Assembly should not be consigned to the dustbin of history, more so as the president-elect of that Republic and his Vice have been honoured,” Nwaka said.