Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial District, has stated that no request for the purchase of a new presidential jet was ever presented to the National Assembly before the acquisition was made.
In August, the Presidency unveiled a new Airbus A330 for President Bola Tinubu.
The jet’s purchase drew widespread criticism, with many Nigerians accusing the President of prioritising personal luxury over addressing the economic hardship faced by the populace.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, defending the acquisition, claimed that the aircraft was not new but a “refurbished jet.”
Members of the National Assembly were also criticised, with accusations that they acted as a “rubber stamp” for approving the purchase.
However, Senator Abaribe, speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Monday, refuted these claims, insisting no such request was ever brought before the legislature.
“I am in the National Assembly, and I can tell you categorically that nobody – quote me – nobody brought anything to the National Assembly to request approval for the purchase of a new plane,” Abaribe stated.
“It was done without my knowledge. Nobody brought any documents. I never saw anything, and I’ve always been in the National Assembly. Ask anyone, there was none.”
The senator expressed concern over the Presidency’s failure to involve the National Assembly in the decision, noting that it undermines the legislature’s role as a check on the executive.
He also addressed public perceptions of lawmakers as “rubber stamps,” attributing this to a lack of visible outcomes from past conflicts between the legislature and the executive. Abaribe suggested that many lawmakers now seek cooperation with the executive to achieve results, even if it reinforces such perceptions.