Melaye Warns Of Tinubu’s ‘Lifetime Presidency’, Gives NASS 14-Day Ultimatum Or Face Protest

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has warned that President Bola Tinubu could move towards a “lifetime presidency” if institutions constitutionally empowered to check his authority fail to perform their duties.

Melaye, who is the Deputy Director-General for Contact and Mobilisation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign, accused the 10th National Assembly of becoming subservient to the executive and threatened to mobilise Nigerians for an “Occupy National Assembly” protest if lawmakers fail to address his concerns within 14 days.

“A lifetime presidency does not begin with the abolition of term limits. It begins when the institutions created to restrain a President stop restraining him,” Melaye said.

He spoke at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, titled ‘The 10th Assembly: The Pathway to Tinubu’s Lifetime Presidency’, where he criticised the legislature’s handling of issues involving executive powers, electoral reforms, budget implementation and constitutional procedures.

“We are giving the National Assembly 14 days to respond in corrective lines to all our demands and all grey areas where they have disappointed Nigeria and Nigerians; failure to do so, we will march on the National Assembly, and it will be very loud,” he said.

The former lawmaker argued that the National Assembly’s failure to provide effective oversight could weaken the constitutional safeguards designed to prevent the concentration of power in the president’s hands.

“The president possesses enormous executive power. Parliament controls legislation, appropriation and oversight. The courts interpret the law. Each arm must respect the others, but none was created merely to validate the wishes of another,” Melaye said.

He clarified that his position was not against collaboration between the executive and legislature, but against what he described as the surrender of parliamentary independence.

“This is not an argument that parliament must oppose everything the president proposes. Cooperation between the executive and legislature is constitutional and necessary. But cooperation is different from submission,” he said.

Melaye cited the amendment to the Nigeria Police Act in July 2024 as one of the instances that, in his view, demonstrated inadequate scrutiny of executive proposals by the National Assembly.

The amendment, initiated by Tinubu, allowed an Inspector-General of Police to remain in office until the expiration of the tenure specified in his appointment letter, notwithstanding the ordinary retirement provisions.

The former senator questioned why the bill passed through three readings in both chambers on the same day.

“One day. Three readings. Two chambers. What urgency required an Executive Bill governing the tenure of the Inspector-General of Police to travel from introduction to final passage through both chambers in a single day?” he queried.

He also faulted the National Assembly’s handling of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State in March 2025.

Melaye questioned the use of voice votes by the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the proclamation, arguing that the procedure did not clearly establish whether the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of all members had been secured.

“When the Constitution requires two-thirds of all members, should Nigerians not be entitled to know precisely who constituted that two-thirds?” he asked.

The ADC chieftain further expressed concerns about a proposal announced by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele in June 2026 to introduce a single six-year tenure for presidents and governors.

He said the timing and transitional provisions of any constitutional amendment would be critical, particularly if the proposal were considered after the 2027 general election.

Melaye questioned whether the proposed arrangement would apply only to presidents elected after the amendment or affect an incumbent elected under the existing four-year constitutional mandate.

“Would the single six-year term apply prospectively only to Presidents elected after the amendment?” he asked.

“Would a president elected in 2027 under a four-year constitutional mandate remain bound to that four-year mandate?”

He warned that any attempt to alter the tenure of an incumbent president must not precede a clear explanation of the legal and constitutional implications to Nigerians.

“Nigeria must never reach the stage where the tenure of an incumbent president is altered first and explained afterwards,” Melaye added.