Atiku Will Not Decide Who Becomes Senate President – ADC Will Restore Independence – Dino Melaye

According to Arise TV on Monday, November 2, 2026, Senator Dino Melaye has said an Atiku Abubakar presidency under the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will not interfere in the election of the leadership of the National Assembly.

Melaye, who spoke during an interview on Arise TV, said the ADC is a very democratic political party that believes in the independence of the legislature and will allow lawmakers to elect their own leaders.

He said one of the major problems facing Nigeria’s democracy today is the fact that the Presidency determines who becomes Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, which has killed legislative independence.

“An Atiku presidency will not determine who is going to be the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The ADC is a very democratic political party, so we are going to allow the people to elect their leaders,” Melaye said.

He explained that wherever members are allowed to elect their leaders, there is always some level of independence, which in turn drives effective oversight over the executive.

“And I told you ab initio that wherever you have the members electing their leaders, there is some modicum magnitude of independence,” he stated.

Melaye contrasted the current situation with the 8th Senate, which he said was a bit more independent because its leadership was a product of the members themselves and not imposed by the Presidency.

He recalled that during that period, the Senate was able to reject ministerial and ambassadorial nominees and forced the President to replace them, something that is impossible today.

“That is why the 8th Senate was a bit more independent. Yeah, because the leadership of that Assembly, both in the lower house and in the Senate, was a product of the members, and that is why there was a level of independence,” he noted.

The former lawmaker said the ADC will ensure that the National Assembly is truly independent if it comes to power, noting that an independent legislature is the foundation for accountability and good governance.

“So to start with, the ADC will make sure that the National Assembly is truly independent, and if the National Assembly is truly independent, that will drive their oversight functions over the executive,” Melaye declared.

He said restoring legislative independence is crucial to checking the current abuse of service-wide vote and other opaque spending patterns of the executive.

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