Abbas Tajudeen explains why Tinubu wants him to be House Speaker

Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, one of the leading candidates for the position of Speaker of the incoming 10th House of Representatives, has provided an explanation as to why the President-Elect favored him over the other candidates running for the position.

The lawmaker who was born in Zaria was under the impression that the President-elect chose him because of his pedigree and his dedication to his responsibilities in the lower legislative chamber.

According to him, “I want to believe, first and foremost, that he is impressed with the legislative contributions that I have made.” I told him that I’ve been a member of the National Assembly since 2011 and that I’ve now been a member there for almost 12 years in a row. I’ve also contributed to the sponsorship of a significant number of bills.

“During the 8th Assembly, I was ranked number one in terms of those who sponsored bills because I was the primary sponsor of 43 pieces of legislation. And during the 9th Assembly, I had the distinct honor of serving as a sponsor for 74 different pieces of legislation, of which 21 were approved by the President and are now in effect across the nation.

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“Other than that, I went to tell him where I come from, my academic background, as well as the fact that I was a teacher in elementary school. Between the years of 1989 and 1993, I served as the head of the accounting department at a polytechnic. Between the years of 2003 and 2005, I also held the position of head of the banking and finance department at another polytechnic. I was the first person to hold the position of accounting department head at Kaduna State University.

“I explained to him that I had previous experience working in the private sector and that I had held the position of marketing manager at the Nigerian Tobacco Company, which is now known as British American Tobacco. I told him about my journey there up until the time when I became the general manager of a subsidiary company before I resigned and went back to teaching in 2001. I told him about my journey up until the time when I became the general manager of a subsidiary company.

“He is impressed with my credentials, the places that I have worked, particularly in the public and private sectors, and also with the modest contributions that I have made while serving in the National Assembly. I am confident that the reasons he cites for his satisfaction with me are due, in large part, to the experiences I’ve had and the qualifications I’ve earned.

He noted 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 stated that he believed that the president-elect also prayed for the other aspirants that visited him. He said that he believed that the president-elect also prayed for the other aspirants that visited him.

Following the conclusion of the zoning arrangement for the party, he stated that “every zone will have something to take home.” That much is certain on my end. I am confident that the party will not give up on any one region or any one zone for any reason.

Rep. Abbas responded that there was no basis for anyone to accuse the National Assembly of being a rubber stamp because working harmoniously with the Executive arm should not be misunderstood as being weak. When asked if the House would be a rubber stamp if he emerges as speaker, Rep. Abbas said that there was no basis for anyone to accuse the National Assembly of being a rubber stamp.

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“What gives them the impression that I am vulnerable? The fact that you don’t publicly insult anyone else’s intelligence? The fact that you are a good member of a team, that you get along well with everyone, and that you live in harmony with everyone else in the house? You have no enemies; the only people in your life are your friends. The fact that you give more money than any other member of the 9th Assembly does this mean that? That you are qualified based on your experience gained in both the public and private sectors? Does that make me weak?

“Look, what the people need to understand is that they need to go and look at the pedigree and antecedents of each and every member of the organization. The problem of being a rubber stamp has nothing to do with either this or that.

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? Do we still maintain, after nearly four years, that those individuals are merely the Executive’s vehicles for stamping out decisions? No.”