Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio has confirmed that there has been no instance of leaked presidential communications to the Senate since 2023. He credited this development to the efficiency and dedication of Senator Basheer Lado, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate).
Akpabio made these remarks on Thursday during a visit to Lado’s office, where he acknowledged the trust placed in the special adviser by both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly. He noted that Lado’s leadership has significantly improved the relationship between the executive and the legislature, ensuring that sensitive government communications remain secure.
Speaking on Lado’s role, Akpabio stated: “With Lado, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano is already in the kitty of APC ahead of the 2027 general election.
“Let me put on record that since Senator Lado’s assumption of office as Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on National Assembly (Senate Matters), we have not had a single leakage of private communication between the presidency and the Senate.
“We have not had a single incidence of leakage. Because in government, that’s what we call the right to know. The right to know. And then of course, where government business is done, on pages of newspapers and on social media through leakages of information, it negatively rubs on national security.
“So I want to thank you for upholding the tenets of what the government should be, what separation of powers is all about.”
According to the Senate President, Basheer Lado, who was also a former Senator, had strengthened the executive-legislature relationship in the last eight months of his appointment, which had made their debate robust as he normally compiled bills assented by President Tinibu before bringing them to the attention of the legislature.
He said: “You are no doubt, a man of colour, man of excellence, man of style who stepped into an office and transformed it for better result delivery as it is clearly with the way you keep track on all the bills passed by us and those assented to by the President.”
In response, Senator Lado expressed his appreciation for Akpabio’s visit and reassured him of his commitment to maintaining a strong working relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.
“Mr. Senate President, your presence here is not only symbolic of the harmony between the Executive and the Legislature, it is a testament to the power of unity, the strength of shared vision, and the boundless possibilities when leadership is anchored on service,” Lado said.
