The race to win President Bola Tinubu’s approval is overshadowing the real job of lawmaking, according to a Delta State federal lawmaker who is openly critical of his colleagues’ priorities.
Benedict Etanabene, who represents the Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, did not hold back during a Saturday interview on Arise Television. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member claimed that a significant number of politicians are far more interested in impressing the President than in delivering for ordinary Nigerians.
His frustration centered on the recent, breakneck passage of the State Police Bill, a process he says was driven by a desire to curry favor rather than to scrutinize legislation properly.
“Many politicians are more focused on impressing President Tinubu than serving citizens,” Etanabene said. “They want to be praised by their leaders. When they gather, they want to be able to say, ‘Look at what I did for that person.’ Whether what they did was right or wrong is not their concern. What matters is getting the approval and praise of their leaders.”
The lawmaker went further, suggesting that even members of the opposition were willing to back the executive’s version of the bill, but their real concern was the lack of proper debate. “Many opposition party members would have even voted for the executive version of the State Police Bill. But even at that stage, what we were concerned about is: can we debate clause by clause? Because as opposition party members, we had the document.”
Etanabene detailed the chaotic timeline that alarmed him and some of his peers. “Don’t forget that this bill was passed some months back, and by the Wednesday of that week, we came and receded it. The life of that one that we have been discussing before came to an end, and one was introduced by the executive that Wednesday, and by Thursday we have been told that we needed to pass it.”
The rush left little room for careful consideration, he explained. “Some of us didn’t sleep that night because we went clause by clause looking at it and trying to rush it, but that’s not how it is supposed to be. We’re just trying to see how we can meet up with the pattern.”
His remarks cast a spotlight on a growing concern among some lawmakers that the legislative process is being bent to fit the executive’s timetable, often at the expense of thorough oversight and the public interest.
