“Nobody Brought Any Request for Presidential Jet Purchase to NASS” – Senator Abaribe

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South senatorial district, has clarified that no request for the purchase of a new presidential jet was presented to the National Assembly prior to the acquisition of the aircraft. The new Airbus A330, unveiled by the Presidency in August for President Bola Tinubu, has drawn widespread criticism from Nigerians who view it as a misplaced priority amid the country’s economic struggles.

Responding to the backlash, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga stated that the aircraft was not a new purchase but a “refurbished jet.” However, this explanation did little to quell public discontent, as accusations of the National Assembly serving as a “rubber stamp” institution persisted. Critics argued that lawmakers failed to challenge what they assumed was executive overreach in approving the purchase.

Senator Abaribe, appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, refuted these claims, asserting that the National Assembly had no involvement in the decision. “I am in the National Assembly, and I can tell you for a fact that nobody, quote me, nobody brought anything to the National Assembly to say, ‘Please approve this for the purchase of a new plane.’ It was done without my knowledge. I never saw any document, and I have always been in the National Assembly. Ask anyone—none,” he stated emphatically.

Abaribe expressed concern over the Presidency bypassing legislative oversight, which he sees as a critical part of the legislature’s role as a check on executive power. He acknowledged that public perceptions of the National Assembly as a compliant body stem from lawmakers’ efforts to balance confrontation with cooperation in dealing with the executive. However, he noted that this approach has often left the public dissatisfied with the legislature’s effectiveness.