Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, a group, Centre for Democratic Institute and Legislative Agenda, has thrown its weight behind the aspiration of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
South-West Coordinator of the group, Mr. Kunle Balogun, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, saying that the decision to back Hon. Abbas was due to his track records and Legislative achievements.
It will be recalled that the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), through its National Working Committee (NWC), had endorsed Abbas for the position of Speaker and Hon. Benjamin Kalu for the Deputy Speaker.
However, since the announcement of the party’s decision, some aggrieved members-elect of the Lower Chamber has kicked against it, saying the party did not consult widely before taking the position.
The Centre, while throwing support, appealed to the aggrieved lawmakers to accept the decision for the overall good of the nation.
It noted that since Hon. Abbas was elected into the Lower Chamber, he had always worked towards unifying the members and sponsored several Bills in line with the development of the country.
The South- West Coordinator of the group, Balogun, said Hon. Abbas’ aims include ensuring that the Nigerian masses were better provided with a basic and quality education while the country’s resources were judiciously utilized to provide essential services for the growth and development of the nation.
According to him, the Kaduna- born Federal lawmaker has accorded priority to Education, Public Accounts, Appropriation, Finance, Commerce, Federal Character, and Water Resources since his sojourn in the Green Chamber, pointing out that Abbas, while representing Zaria Federal Constituency, had received several Awards and Honours and also served in several committees in various capacities.
He listed the committees to include: Chairman, Land Transport Committee until May 2023, Committee Member, Commerce Committee (Reps) until May 2015, Committee Member, Finance Committee (Reps) until May 2015, Committee Member at Special Duties Committee (Reps) until May 2015 and Committee Member at Defence Committee (Reps) until May 2015.
Others are Vice-Chairman at Legislative Compliance Committee (Reps) until May 2015, Committee Member at Public Procurement Committee (Reps) until May 2015, and Committee Member at National Planning and Economic Development Committee (Reps) until May 2015.
