“Not a Time for ‘Bow and Go’”: Senate President Akpabio Rejects Quick Confirmation as Trump Pressure Mounts

As U.S. visa bans and sharp criticism from Washington ripple through Abuja, Nigeria’s Senate insists on rigorous scrutiny for top security nominees.

The ornate chamber of Nigeria’s Senate was humming with the usual procedural murmur on Tuesday—until the debate over confirming a new Minister of Defence turned into a pointed lesson on geopolitical timing.

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, following a tradition often extended to former service chiefs, suggested that the nominee, former Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, should simply “bow and go”—a parliamentary shorthand for bypassing rigorous questioning and granting immediate confirmation.

But Senate President Godswill Akpabio swiftly gaveled the easy pass into oblivion. In a sharp, impromptu rebuke that quieted the room, Akpabio framed the moment in stark, contemporary terms.

“This is not the time for politics of ‘bow and go’,” he declared, his voice carrying a mix of frustration and urgency. “Even Donald Trump is on our neck.”

The reference to the former U.S. President was not a casual aside. It was a direct acknowledgment of the new, uncomfortable spotlight shining on Nigeria from Washington. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has issued visa bans targeting alleged sponsors of religious violence, publicly criticized the nation's security management, and generally turned up the diplomatic heat.

“We've not asked him what his response will be to Donald Trump,” Akpabio continued, gesturing toward the nominee. “A nominee for Minister of Defence, and you stand up and say he should take a bow and go, with so many questions on the mouth of Nigerians and over 200 children still in the bush and being tortured.”

He concluded with a clear mandate: “Let's give the man the opportunity to give Nigerians hope.”

The exchange, lasting mere minutes, captured a palpable shift in Abuja’s political atmosphere. The “bow and go” culture—a longstanding feature of Nigeria’s elite consensus politics—is suddenly colliding with the pressure of intense international scrutiny. The message from the Senate President was clear: when a foreign power, particularly one led by a figure as voluble as Donald Trump, is publicly dissecting your nation’s failures, business as usual becomes a dangerous luxury.

The Trump Effect: A Wake-Up Call in the Red Chamber?

Analysts see Akpabio’s statement as the first significant, public admission that Trump’s aggressive posture is directly influencing internal Nigerian governance. “It’s a reflex of anxiety,” says Dr. Hassan Salami, a political scientist at the University of Abuja. “The leadership is realizing that their domestic performance, especially on security, is no longer just a local issue for the press and opposition. It’s a front-page topic in Washington, with tangible consequences like visa bans. They now feel the need to perform accountability, even if symbolically, for an international audience.”

The nominee at the center, General Christopher Musa, a respected career soldier, was then subjected to a thorough, televised grilling. Senators pressed him on counter-terrorism strategy, the plight of kidnapped victims, inter-service rivalry, and crucially, how he would address the specific criticisms emanating from the United States.

A Symbolic End to “Bow and Go”?

Whether this marks a permanent end to the “bow and go” tradition is uncertain. The practice is rooted in political deference and backroom agreements. However, the “Trump is on our neck” moment has set a powerful precedent. It has weaponized international opinion as a tool for demanding domestic accountability.

For Nigerians weary of endless security crises, the spectacle of their senators finally insisting on detailed answers—spurred not solely by internal pressure but by the fear of external rebuke—was a novel, if ironic, source of grim satisfaction. The hope, as Akpabio put it, is that this newfound urgency in the Senate translates into long-overdue action beyond its chambers. After all, the world—and a particularly watchful former U.S. President—is now looking on.