Abuja, Nigeria — November 5, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
The Nigerian Senate has announced plans to meet with the executive branch to discuss recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump of potential military action in Nigeria — a move that underscores the escalating diplomatic-security crisis between Nigeria and the United States.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, said the Red Chamber would not unilaterally issue motions until consultations with the executive arm of government had taken place. He noted:
“We have not discussed the issue of President Trump yet in chambers. We shall do so in combination with the executive because we believe it is a matter of foreign policy and diplomatic relations.
The timing of the Senate’s action comes after President Trump issued stark warnings over Nigeria’s handling of alleged killings of Christians, declaring that the U.S. might “go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
The Senate’s intervention highlights three major dimensions of the crisis: sovereignty, legislative oversight and regional stability. Nigeria’s Constitution vests foreign-policy guidance in the executive, but the legislature retains oversight responsibility — especially when national security and deployment of foreign forces are concerned.
By bridging with the executive, the Senate signals it will play a proactive role rather than serve as a passive observer. Akpabio’s reluctance to proceed before executive consultation reflects caution: any motion passed independently may be deemed unconstitutional or risk undermining Nigeria’s unified diplomatic posture.
Populist and international reactions have trended in different directions. The federal government formally rejected the label of “genocide against Christians,” with the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, reaffirming at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that “religious extremists who are behind the narrative are out to divide the nation.
The administration emphasised that President Bola Tinubu has remained calm despite Washington’s threats and underlined that Nigeria is open to partnership — but not unilateral foreign military intervention. Analysts say the Senate’s move underlines the government’s commitment to pursue a diplomatic-rather than militarised-resolution.
Today’s Senate announcement is far more than legislative procedure — it is a structural signal. As Nigeria faces potentially transformative external pressures, how it mobilises internally will shape the country’s diplomatic identity, strategic alliances and capacity to protect its citizens. In calling for joint executive-legislative scrutiny, the Senate is positioning itself at the heart of a debate on who decides Nigeria’s security, and on what terms.