Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has claimed that the 8th National Assembly was subjected to harassment, blackmail, and suppression by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari due to its refusal to enter into questionable arrangements.
Saraki alleged that the legislature, under his leadership, was hindered by the Buhari-led Executive from enacting laws that could have positively impacted Nigerians.
He reiterated that the Executive under Buhari’s leadership deliberately obstructed the efforts of the National Assembly during his tenure.
These claims were made during the 2025 Reunion Gala of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) held in Houston, Texas.
Emphasizing the difficult experience of the legislature at the time, the former Kwara State governor stated, “We were like orphans,” while also blaming both the elite and the general public for their silence and indifference toward the Executive’s actions.
His spokesman, Yusuf Olaniyonu, issued a statement that partly read: “The legislature under my leadership was silenced, harassed, assaulted, bullied, and blackmailed, and the executive deliberately frustrated the passage of good laws, initiatives, and recommendations that would have been highly beneficial to our society.”
“I could have agreed with everything the Presidency under Buhari wanted and cut deals with them all the way. I would have been a good ally.”
Back in 2015, Saraki’s aspiration to become Senate President saw him diverge from the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite being a member of the party at the time.
His emergence was backed by lawmakers from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and not long after assuming office, Saraki officially defected to the PDP.
This move set the stage for a strained relationship between the National Assembly and the Buhari-led Executive throughout Saraki’s tenure.
