A frontline aspirant and APC’s choice for the position of Speaker in the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has secured the backing of both the outgoing and incoming governors of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari and Dr. Dikko Umar Radda respectively.
The endorsements came when Abbas led a delegation of members-elect from the Joint Task – 10th Assembly, a coalition of members from the eight political parties that have won seats in the 10th Assembly, on separate visits on Masari and Radda.
Speaking during the late night visit on Sunday, Masari, a former Speaker of the House, said as a loyal member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he believed the party’s choice should be respected.
“You said I’m a party man; you’re right. So, I’ll align myself with what the party says. Once the party takes a position, I’ll make sure that I stand with the decision and make it succeed,” Masari said.
A statement issued by Abbas’ Campaign office on Monday quoted the former Speaker as advising Abbas and his team to intensify efforts and work hard to realize the party’s decision, noting that the member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State has shown capacity over the years.
On his part, Dr. Radda said as party men, they would ensure that the APC’s decision on zoning was implemented to the latter, saying he is a product of the party hierarchy being a one-time national welfare secretary of APC.
“I am a party man, and I believe we should work with what the party said. I called all our members-elect and told them to work with whatever the party decided. This is our project. This visit is just a formality.
“We in the Northwest thank the party and the President-elect for ceding the position of Speaker to us. We have done a lot for the party, so we may ask for more. I am happy to see the kind of people with you. This is a pan-Nigerian project.
“You need the support of each and every person among the aspirants. You should reach out to each and every person to have their cooperation and support. Don’t forget to carry members of Katsina State along if God gives you the position,” Dr. Radda said.
Both Masari and Radda in their remarks during the separate visits in Abuja emphasized on party supremacy. They said the political party under whose platform a legislator got elected should be respected at all times.
Similarly, Hon. Abbas secured the endorsement of a former governor of Kebbi State and serving senator for Kebbi Central, Muhammad Adamu Aliero, during a visit on Sunday.
Aliero, who is also a former minister of FCT, said he was highly impressed by Hon. Tajudeen Abbas’ credentials both in and outside the Legislature.
He promised to mobilize the PDP members-elect from Kebbi State for Abbas, saying the Kaduna Rep. is the kind of leader the House needs at the moment.
“When I learnt that Hon. Tajudeen Abbas was visiting me, I said this is the moment I was waiting for. I had eminent Nigerians waiting for me, but I decided to wait for you.
“I know very well that APC has taken a stand on zoning. I want to congratulate you for getting the APC endorsement. All we’re waiting for is the inauguration day. God willing, you’ll be there. I must commend you on your bipartisan approach. The best advice anyone can give you is to be fair and just to all the people that give you their support.
“Treat everyone equally. Don’t discriminate. Whatever comes to you, look at it nationally. You should be just to all. When there is justice, everything will be okay in the society. I can boast of giving you five members from Kebbi State. One of them is Hon. Tanko Sununu who’s already working with you,” he said.
Speaking during the visits, the frontline aspirant, Tajudeen Abbas, congratulated Radda on his victory as governor-elect for Katsina State and the APC victory at the national level. He also congratulated Aliero on his victory at the polls.
He said he has been in the House of Representatives since 2011 representing Zaria Federal Constituency, noting that he is the current chairman of the House Committee on Land Transport.
Most importantly, Abbas said, he is the member that sponsored 74 Bills in the 9th Assembly, 21 of which were signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Additionally, Hon. Abbas said he is the treasurer of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPU), Africa, a member of the governing board of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) as well as the leader of the Kaduna Caucus in the 9th House.
Hon. Abbas noted further that he came to the Parliament after serving as a teacher for many years, teaching in both secondary and tertiary institutions where he established three different departments in different institutions in 1989, 2001 and 2005 respectively before joining politics.
The delegation also visited the Enugu State governor-elect, Hon. Peter Mbah, who offered some words of advice to the Tajudeen Abbas team.
Abbas holds the record of the member with the highest number of Bills in the 8th Assembly.
He was accompanied on the visits by members-elect from APC, PDP, LP, NNPP, among others.
