Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen on Friday congratulated the newly elected leaders of the Conference of Speakers of the State House of Assembly in Nigeria.
The Speaker also congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Conference of Speakers and the Northern Speakers Forum on the successful elections of new leaders at the just concluded annual general meeting (AGM).
Recall that at the recently held congress of the national body, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, emerged as the newly elected Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, while the Speaker of Katsina State House of Assembly, Alhaji Nasir Yahaya-Daura, was elected as the Deputy Chairman.
In a related development, their counterpart from Kwara State House of Assembly Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, emerged as the Chairman of the APC Conference of Speakers, while Hon. Yusuf Liman Dahiru, who is the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, was elected as the chairman of the Northern Speakers’ Forum, respectively.
Speaker Abbas, while applauding the state assemblies’ presiding officers for the manner in which they went about the electioneering process, also called on members of the conference to individually and collectively uphold the independence of the legislature which is the symbol of democracy at their various states.
The Speaker emphasised the importance of legislative independence, pointing out the indispensable role of the lawmaking arms of the governments at all levels and the need to ensure checks and balances, with a view to upholding democratic principles and ensuring effective governance.
Speaker Abbas also reminded them of the necessity to hold their various executive arms accountable to the people through effective oversight, saying, “That can only be possible if you enjoy complete constitutional autonomy.”
The Speaker also said with the combined experiences of the new chairmen of the national, regional and parties forums of Speakers, he is confident that they would collaborate to elevate the status and democratic credentials of state legislatures to new and enviable heights.
He wished the new leadership of the three bodies of states assemblies Speakers successful tenures, even as he tasked them to be above board in their leadership.
