Conflicting data from two top Senate officials have cast doubt over the official legislative record of the Nigerian Senate’s activities during its first two years in office.

At the 2025 Democracy Day joint session of the National Assembly held last Thursday, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated that the upper chamber had introduced 844 bills and passed 96 between June 2023 and June 2025. However, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, in a separate midterm statement released Sunday, reported that the Senate introduced 983 bills and passed 108 during the same period.

“No fewer than 983 bills—both executive and private members—were introduced between June 13, 2023, and June 12, 2025, 108 of which were fully passed into laws within the timeframe,” Bamidele said in the statement commemorating the 10th Senate’s midterm performance.

Akpabio, during his address at the joint session, described the legislative output as unprecedented.

“This commitment is reflected in its extraordinary output: a total of 844 bills have been introduced within its first two years… Out of this impressive volume, 96 bills have been passed,” he stated. He added that 52 of the passed bills had been signed into law by the president.

The Senate president also cited the adoption of 18 out of 80 received petitions as part of the chamber’s broader legislative impact.

In contrast, Bamidele provided a detailed breakdown, reporting that 506 bills were introduced during the 2024/2025 legislative year, a 6.07% increase from the 477 introduced in 2023/2024. According to him, 83 bills were passed in the 2024/2025 session, up from 25 in the previous year.

Bamidele also listed the number of executive bills handled, noting that 26 were considered in 2024/2025, double the 13 addressed in 2023/2024. Furthermore, he said 464 private member bills were introduced in 2023/2024, compared to 480 in the following year.

Further figures presented by the Senate leader include 89 bills awaiting first reading in 2024/2025, 230 at second reading, and a reduction in confirmed appointments from 215 in 2023/2024 to 116 in 2024/2025. Petitions addressed also increased from 50 to 80 across the two years.

Among the bills highlighted by Bamidele were the National Social Investment Programmes Act (2023), Student Loan (Access to Higher Education) Act (2024), National Minimum Wage Amendment Act (2024), Investments and Securities Act (2025), Regional Development Commission Acts (2025), and the Tax Reform Bills (2025).

He described the Student Loan Act as transformative for education access and credited the Tax Reform Bills with boosting investor confidence and simplifying tax compliance.

Bamidele reaffirmed the Senate’s focus on upcoming electoral and judicial reforms, including ongoing constitutional review efforts aimed at increasing transparency in the appointment and tenure of judicial officers.

Both Akpabio and Bamidele are senior lawyers. Bamidele is a life bencher of the Nigerian Bar Association.

The discrepancy between their figures has raised questions about consistency in record-keeping within the Senate. While both officials emphasised legislative achievements, the lack of alignment in the data has not been officially addressed by either office.

Section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution grants legislative powers to the National Assembly to make laws for peace, order, and good governance, with senators expected to legislate, provide oversight, and respond to public concerns.

The 10th Senate, inaugurated on June 13, 2023, comprises 109 members drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. (The Guardian)