While the jostling, permutations and scheming in the in run for the 10th Assembly Speaker of the green chamber of the national assembly tightens, bearing in mind the political realities cum the state of the nation, one with a sense of responsibility would begins to prioritize national interest against premordial interest, hence, the demands that Nigeria get it right by entrenching right leadership in her institutions champions permutations.
It is true that the Nigeria nation state is faced with plethora issues, more true is that all these challenges bedeviling the nation resulted from the dearth of leadership which we have been plagued with.
The elation of Nigerians over the victory of the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the mantra of “Renewed Hope” will be short live and the incoming administration won’t be able to make good their campaign promises if the legislative arm is not piloted by a competent legislator who is not just familiar with legislative routine but also has a long standing experiences, working relationship with other colleagues and above all knot in the ideologies and programs of the incoming government.
Underpinning this background, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has continue to gain endorsement across the geopolitical zones of the country at a time when others aspiring for the speakership are facing rejection from Nigerians, party leadership, stakeholders and members-elect.
Attesting to Hon. Tajudeen Abba’s acceptance across the country, a group, THE NORTH CENTRAL ALLIANCE has yet in a press conference endorsed him for the office of the speaker, 10th National Assembly, House of Representatives.
The group which is known for it advocacy roles for inclusive and quality legislative leadership through it leader Hon. Mark Hanmation says “as the race for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly continues, it is our resolve to back Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, a ranking member representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State for the speakership of the House of Representatives.
“Perhaps, the first question you all may have in mind is why we would prefer an aspirant from North West to those from our geopolitical zone of North Central? It is indeed true that the North Central parades some of the most capable and competent individuals who will do well as speakers, but as patriots; we are looking beyond the primordial issue of protecting the interest of our region but instead putting our focus on the larger picture of inclusive leadership for our country and the sort of quality governance we envisage under the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Adding that having North Central senators-elect already lobbying and insisting on having the position of the deputy Senate President, it becomes untenable for the zone to at the same time aspire for the Speakership of the House. In the spirit of equity and fairness, therefore, we believe that it is only proper that the position of the Speakership be ceded to the North West, first in recognition of the contributions of the zone to the victory of the APC in the 2023 elections; and to show inclusivity which is the hallmark of the APC.
Furthermore, the group noted “while we concede that a number of aspirants in the race are qualified on account of their individual experiences; it is our belief that there is a wide difference between qualification and suitability. Someone who is qualified for a position may not necessarily be suitable for it. This is why, having considered the experiences, resume and track records of all the aspirants for the House of Representatives speakership, we found that Hon. Abbas Tajudeen is most qualified on account of his rich legislative experience, versatility, capacity and unmatched skill in human relation; all of which are required ingredients for anyone seeking to lead the House as the primus inter pares; with a career spanning over four decades, during which he functioned variously as a teacher, private sector operator and finally a lawmaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen acquired a mixed of experience which prepared him adequately for the position he now aspires to. With over 10 motions and a record 73 bills, Hon. Tajudeen, a third term lawmaker who has either been a deputy chairman or chairman of important House committees such as legislative compliance, solid minerals, land transport, including chairmanship of several adhoc committees between 2015 and 2022, come highly prepared and ready to provide impressive leadership to his colleagues in the House of Representatives.
“As it’s often said, the deep calls to the deep. With the pedigree and the reputation for effective governance already associated with the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; he needs equally effective and competent leadership in both chambers of the National Assembly to complement him and help deliver on his promise of ‘Renewed Hope’ for the generality of Nigerians. We believe as a man of quality that Asiwaju Tinubu is known to be, he would readily appreciates the need to have other equally competent individuals who he can seamlessly work with in order to fast track the delivery of his good plans for Nigerians. We believe that Hon. Abbas Tajudeen fit perfectly into the category of quality individuals that Asiwaju would look forward to working with.
The group expressed confident on Abbas and call on party leaders and stakeholders, most especially the members-elect of the House of Representatives to support the aspiration of Hon. Abbas Tajudeen; says it is their belief that Abbas emergence as Speaker would strengthen the performance of the House, enhance service delivery to the Nigerian people, promote transparency in the conduct of legislative duties and deliver a people-parliament that Nigerians would be proud of.