10th assembly: Coalition kicks against ‘adoption’ of Abba, Kaduna rep, as speaker

A coalition known as Democrats Alliance for Good Governance (DAGG) has kicked against the “adoption” of Tajudeen Abbas for the position of speaker in the 10th assembly. 

The coalition largely consists of some house of representatives members-elect.

On Friday, reports emerged that the President-elect Bola Tinubu; Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives; and the leadership of the APC has adopted Abba, Abbas, a lawmaker from Kaduna, for the position of speaker, and Ben Kalu, a legislator from Abia, as deputy speaker.

The 10th national assembly will be inaugurated on June 13 and principal officers of the senate and house of representatives will be elected on the same day.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Williams Martins, national coordinator of the group, said the “secret adoption” is “an affront on the parliamentarians and the national assembly as an institution”.

“We are most jolted and sincerely betrayed especially when we got the hint that the preferred aspirant was taking by hand to be introduced to the President-elect,” the statement reads.

“We wish to state unequivocally that none of us as parliamentarians will subscribe to anything short of what the constitution stipulates on the independence of the legislature.

“Men of goodwill and conscience, as well as elected public office holders, can not afford to fold their hands. To allow such means members-elect are unfit for the task of representation and will definitely fail in holding the executive arm of government to account when the need arises within four years of the 10th assembly.”

Martins said some of the aspirants met with the outgoing speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to express their “grouse about the unhealthy and unparliamentary actions and inactions of adopting his stooge”.

“As if they were taken for a ride, the convener of the meeting, denied the allegation of adopting our colleague, Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna state and Benjamin Kalu from Abia state as the deputy speaker.”

In April, Gbajabiamila denied anointing a candidate to succeed him.

Gbajabiamila, who was refuting reports that he is backing Abbas to succeed him, had asked the speakership hopefuls to wait for the APC to zone the position. 

The group asked the APC to have a “rethink” and desist from any act that could throw the house of representatives into disarray.