By Gift Chapi -Odekina
The newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has promised Nigerians that his administration as the Speaker of the House will introduce reforms and innovations for the benefit of Nigerians.
The endorsed candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged at the inauguration of the 10th House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Abbas emerged the new speaker with 353 votes to defeat his opponents in the race, Ahmed Idris Wase and Sani Jaji who scored three votes each.
A total of 359 members-elect were on ground and participated in the voting, as confirmed through a roll call of attendance, which began as early as 8am
The expected tension was doused in just days to the inauguration, when leading contenders in the race, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara and Yusuf Adamu Gagdi made public, their decision to step down, after being successful persuaded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
To confirm the news, the two leading aspirants and members of the G6 coalition voted for Hon Abbas in the exercise conducted through an open ballot system.
Dramatically, Hon. Akinremi Olaide (APC-Oyo), who is the Director General for Hon. Sani Jaji, voted for Hon. Abbas, while aside from Hon Jaji, who voted for himself, all the six Members-elect from Zamfara State voted for Hon. Abbas.
Also, Hon. Yusuf Gadgi and six Plateau State Members-elect who are kinsmen to Hon. Wase voted en-masse for Hon. Abbas, except for Hon. Wase, who voted for himself.
The Deputy Clerk for the National Assembly (DCNA), Barrister Kamoru Ogunlana, who read the President’s proclamation, announced that the method of election shall be by open ballot as prescribed by the 10th edition of the Standing Order, Order Two Rule 3 (f)(iii).
Order Two Rule 3(g) provides that: “when more than two Members-elect is nominated and seconded to be Speaker and where two or more accept, the division shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in Rule 3(f) herein and the Member-elect who has received more than one-half of the votes shall be the Speaker-elect.”
In line with the provision of Order Two Rule 3(k), the first nomination was made by the immediate past Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, and seconded by Hon. Nnolim Nnaji (PDP-Enugu) in pursuant to Order 2(2, 3 and 4) of the Standing Order, nominated Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (APC-Kaduna), and the nominee accepted the nomination.
The second nomination was made by Hon. Tijani Kayode Ibrahim (APC-Kwara) and seconded by Hon. Mohammed Abdulmumin (APC-Nasarawa) nominated Hon. Idris Wase.
In his acceptance speech, Hon. Idris Wase, who accepted assured Nigerians of his readiness to serve in the capacity.
In the same vein, the third nomination was made by Hon. Yusuf Ibrahim (APC-Katsina) and seconded by Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim (APC-Katsina), nominated by Hon Sani Jaji (APC-Zamfara), after which the voting commenced.
After his emergence, Abbas thanked his colleagues for the opportunity given to him to be the Speaker of the 10 Assembly, adding that under his watch, the 10th House shall sustain and even surpass the gains of the 9th House, adding that they shall carry out the task before them jointly.
He said “I do not take this mandate bestowed on me as the Nigerian Speaker for granted. I want to assure you today that I shall be just and fair to every one of you irrespective of our perceived differences.
” I shall operate a House that you all will be proud of. I shall be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the House Rules. Our doors will be open for members of APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, APGA, SDP, ADC and YPP as we strongly believe nation building is a Joint Task.
“Honourable Colleagues, today, I stand before you with immense joy and gratitude as we celebrate a momentous victory for the 10th House of Representatives. I want to express my deepest appreciation to each and every one of you who believed in me and supported my candidacy. I am indeed humbled and honoured to be elected as your Speaker, as the Speaker of the Nigerian people.
“This victory is not just about me; it is about all of us coming together as a united House to serve the Nigerian people diligently. It is about honouring the trust that has been placed on us and working tirelessly to deliver on our promises of good governance and effective representation.
He added that in a few weeks, his administration will be reeling out the legislative agenda that will shape the 10th House of Representatives
“We shall work closely and inter-dependently with the Executive and Judiciary to give Nigerians the good governance they deserve. We stand at a crucial juncture in our nation’s history, where challenges abound, but so do opportunities. We will champion legislations that will uplift the lives of our fellow citizens, promote social justice, and drive sustainable development.
“We will focus on strengthening our security apparatus, collaborating with relevant stakeholders to combat insurgency, terrorism, and all forms of criminalities. We aim to help create a safe and secure environment that fosters economic growth and social stability.
“Through legislations, the 10th House will promote entrepreneurship and support small and medium-scale enterprises. We shall diversify our economy and provide sustainable employment opportunities for our youth. We are aware of the challenges in our education, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors amongst other.
“We will work in harmony with the executive arm, while upholding principles of checks and balances. Our collaboration will be anchored on the principles of transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.
“Honourable Colleagues, may I remind all of us that we hold our respective offices in trust for the Nigerian people. We MUST, therefore, justify the confidence reposed in us by our constituents to represent their interests and work committedly for our dear nation.
“Working closely with my deputy, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, we shall provide purposeful leadership in the 10th House of Representatives, he added.
Reacting to the open ballot method of voting, Rep. Dekeri Anamero representing Estako Federal Constituency of Edo State, noted it is the beauty of democracy.
He stressed that members openly made their choice and their decision was loud following the landslide win of Tajudeen Abbas.
Rep Anamero emphasized that the voting pattern was influenced by the leadership abilities so far displayed by the President Bola Tinubu in his two weeks old administration.
“We have seen bold steps, leadership so far taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Leadership should be entrusted on people who know what it takes, people who have what it takes to deliver.
” It is only logical for us the parliament to que behind this president who is ready to liberate Nigeria, to take the country out of the shackles of poverty and elect these sets of leaders that will work with him harmoniously without undermining the principles of checks and balances.
” We are ready to work with Mr President to create the Nigeria of our dreams.
With time, Nigerians that are currently, leaving the country will start coming back. The Jakpa syndrome will be reversed because others will people will start coming into Nigeria, “He added.
