A frontline aspirant for the position of the Speaker of the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, has offered an insight as to why the President-Elect preferred him ahead of his rivals.
The Zaria-born lawmaker believed the President-Elect settled for him due to his pedigree and commitment to his duties in the lower legislative chamber.
According to him, “I want to believe, first and foremost, that he is impressed with my legislative contributions. I have told him I’ve been in the National Assembly since 2011, and I’ve been there now for almost 12 years back-to-back, and I’ve contributed in sponsoring a lot of bills.
“In the 8th Assembly, I sponsored 43 bills, which gave me the number 1 ranking in terms of those who sponsored bills. And in the 9th Assembly, I had the singular honour of sponsoring 74 bills, out of which 21 have been assented to by Mr President, and they’re now laws in the country.
“Besides that, I went to tell him where I come from, my academic background, and that I was a teacher in primary school. I was the head of an accounting department of a polytechnic from 1989 to 1993. I was also the head of the banking and finance department at a polytechnic again between 2003 and 2005. I was the founding head of accounting of Kaduna State University.
“I told him my private sector experience, that I was a marketing manager with the Nigerian Tobacco Company, which is now British American Tobacco. I told him about my journey there up to the time when I became the general manager of a subsidiary company before I resigned and went back to the classroom in 2001.
“He is impressed with my credentials, the places that I have worked, particularly in the public and private sectors, and also my modest contributions in the National Assembly. I’m sure whatever makes him to say he is happy with me is probably because of those experiences, the qualifications that I have.”
He said he believed that the president-elect also prayed for the other aspirants that visited him, noting that he believed “the president-elect and the party will come up with an acceptable zoning that will be in the mutual interest of each and every Nigerian.”
He said at the end of the party’s zoning arrangement, “every zone will have something to take home. That I can assure you. I know the party will not abandon any region, any zone for whatever reason.”
Asked if the House would be a rubber stamp if he emerges as a speaker, Rep. Abbas said there was no basis for anyone to accuse the National Assembly of being a rubber stamp as working harmoniously with the Executive arm should not be misunderstood as being weak.
“What makes them think that I am weak? The fact that you don’t come out to insult anybody? The fact that you are a team player; you play along with everyone, you live along with everyone in the House? You don’t have enemies, you have only friends. The fact that you contribute more than any other member in the 9th Assembly? That you are qualified based on public and private sectors experience? Does that make me weak?
“Look, what people need to understand is to go and look at the pedigree and antecedents of each and every member. The issue of being rubber stamp is neither here nor there.
If you recall in 2019, was it not the president-elect then, Muhammadu Buhari, that pushed for Femi and the Senate President, Lawan, to become the candidates of the party? Are we saying today, after almost four years that those people are the rubber stamps of the Executive? No.”
