In contrast to the stance of the majority of members in the outgoing ninth National Assembly, Senator Binos Yeroe, the representative of Adamawa South Senatorial District, asserted on Saturday that the ninth Senate functioned as a mere formality.
During the valedictory session in the Senate, Senator Yeroe expressed his agreement with those who criticized the Assembly as a rubber stamp, conveying this sentiment in his address to fellow lawmakers. He further emphasized that the approval of the N22.7tn Ways and Means, despite initial resistance and public outcry, only reinforced the perception of a rubber stamp.
Yeroe said, “I agree with those who say the ninth Senate is a rubber stamp. Furthermore, the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and subjecting him to investigation is a mild indictment on the National Assembly.
“This is so because if we had done our oversight duties properly, we would not have gotten to this level.”
According to Waffi TV, the Senate’s endorsement of the restructuring of the N22.7tn Ways and Means advance, obtained by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari from the Central Bank of Nigeria, triggered this response. Senator Yeroe observed that the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, and subjecting him to investigation were mild indictments on the National Assembly, suggesting that proper oversight could have prevented such developments.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s suspension of the CBN governor on Friday, the Department of State Services subsequently apprehended him on Saturday.
In his advice to the incoming tenth Senate, Senator Yeroe urged them to take their role as a watchdog over the executive branch seriously. He also emphasized the importance of adhering to the Senate’s own rules, specifically highlighting the procedures for bill readings (as outlined in rules 76, 77, and 78) that necessitate the circulation of bills to all senators. Senator Yeroe expressed his hope that the tenth Senate would conduct its business in a more diligent manner.
