By Okoroafor Uchechukwu
All eyes will be on the National Assembly, the lawmaking organ of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 as the 10 National Assembly will be inaugurated by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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All things being equal President Tinubu will execute this national responsibility as a result of the power vested in him in Chapter 5. Part 1. Section 64 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) on, Dissolution and Issue of Proclamations By the President in subsection (3) which states that “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the person elected as the President shall have power to issue a proclamation for the holding of the first session of the National Assembly after his being sworn in, or for dissolution as provided in this section.”
Aside the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly by the President, the next biggest decision of the day will be the consensus endorsement of the Principal Officers of the Senate and House of Representatives. It is usually seen as the election of the firsts among equals. It has become a national consensus that Hon Tajudeen Abbas and Hon Benjamin Kalu would be elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives respectively. Abbas may be from the North West geopolitical zone and Kalu from the South East which is important too, but their choice for the positions is largely built on their capacity, competencies, integrity and leadership. It is in that national spirit that many others eyeing the positions have stepped down for Abbas and Kalu. The latest was the former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Muktar Betara, an aspirant for House of Representatives Speaker who voluntarily stepped down for Abbas in line with the mood of the nation.
Also, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently stuck to his guns on the preferred choices of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly. He said he remains firm on the choices of Senators Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin for Senate president and Deputy Senate president, as well as Hon. Tajudeen Abbas and Hon. Benjamin Kalu for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Tinubu, who spoke at a meeting with elected members of the National Assembly, pleaded with the lawmakers to allow the zoning arrangement adopted by the governing party for the emergence of the leadership of the 10th Assembly to sail through on Tuesday June 13 when the new legislative body is slated for proclamation. The president, at the meeting with Senators-elect and members-elect across all political parties held behind closed doors at the presidential villa, Abuja, sought their understanding and backing to ensure the emergence of the new leadership of the National Assembly through consensus.
It was gathered that Tinubu expressed reservations over the conduct of election to determine the leadership of the 10th Assembly on June 13th, saying the meeting was convened to build a consensus and push forward mutually agreeable candidates for the four offices in the leadership of the 10th Assembly. He said this was in the interest of delivering a working country, the Nigeria Project and ensuring a smooth take-off of his government with the seamless election of next National Assembly presiding officers.
According to Tinubu, the four chosen ranking lawmakers for the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, have the capacity, competence, experience and inclusive spirit and humility to deliver on a stable and progressive parliament that understands the urgency and need to solve critical national problems with parliamentary instruments. While begging the aggrieved aspirants to bury the hatchet, the President assured lawmakers that he will ensure that Nigeria’s potential will be turned into reality, if they all drop their colours and fly the national colour of progress. Thereafter, messages focusing on the need for corroboration and joint task of working to deliver on the Nigeria project were delivered. The meeting was well attended by the majority of the Senators-elect and members-elect.
To show that the emergence of Akpabio, Jibrin, Abbas and Kalu are not as a result of imposition, the Kwara Central Senator-elect, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has said President Bola Tinubu did not impose his choice of leaders of the 10th National Assembly on the lawmakers. Mustapha, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today said the President only appealed to their sense of reasoning and left the ultimate judgement to the legislators. “APC has a covenant to deliver to the Nigerian people. The President has not forced anybody to say, ‘You must vote Akpabio’. The President has not forced anybody to say ‘You must vote Tajudeen Abbas’. All he has done is to advise and seek our understanding.” He appealed to us and said; ‘Please, Gentlemen, I’ll like it if you can do me this favour so as to get my government on a good start’. If he is asking for that favour it is because he knows the capacity of the person in question,” Mustapha said. The Senator-elect further stated that the President is forward-looking and working on stabilising the country.
There is no doubt that Tajudeen Abbas and Benjamin Kalu will work with the President to stabilize the polity in the House of Representatives, while Godswill Akpabio and Barau Jibrin would ensure the same at the Senate.
Biography of Hon Tajudeen Abbas
Born on October 1st, 1963 in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, Hon. Dr Tajudeen Abbas is an educationist and politician, who is known for advocating for quality education and contributing to the development of his constituency. Dr Tajudeen Abbas’s academic journey started at Kaduna Teacher’s College (KTC) where he obtained a grade II certificate in 1981. He then proceeded to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied business administration and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1988. Later on, he obtained a master’s degree in business administration from the same institution in 1993. He furthered his education by completing a doctorate degree in business management at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto in 2010. Hon. Dr Tajudeen Abbas’s career is as diverse as his educational background. He started out as a primary school teacher from 1981 to 1988 before moving on to become a lecturer at a polytechnic in 1989. In 1993, he joined the Kaduna State University (KASU) as a lecturer and taught there until 2001. From 2001 to 2005, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas worked as a marketing manager at NTC Plc. He is a man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge and public service. His impressive academic background and experience in education and business management have made him a valuable asset to the National Assembly. His unwavering commitment to excellence and his numerous awards and recognitions are a testament to his dedication to improving the lives of those around him. Dr Tajudeen has sponsored over 90 bills out of which 21 have been assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari. This achievement has placed him among the best and highest bill sponsoring in the history of Nigeria.
Biography of Hon Benjamin Kalu
Benjamin Okezie Kalu is an astute lawyer and businessman par excellence. At 23 he was a student representative in the University of Calabar, at 29 he was the National chapter Chairman of PDP in diaspora with six provincial branches under his office. At 31 he was the youngest LGA chairman of Bende, the oldest and largest undivided LGA in Nigeria with 99 autonomous communities.
At 34 he was a member of the Abia State Government Executive cabinet as the Senior Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy affairs; and at 35, the Senior Special adviser to the Executive Governor on Millennium Development Goals and International Relations. He is currently the Member representing Bende Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives. He occupies the seat of the Chairman, House Committee on media and Public Affairs, subsequently as a result of his vocal prowess doubles as the Spokesperson of the House. His pragmatism and innovative approach towards legislative activities through bills and motions has ranked him as one of the Top 10 House of Representatives members by bill sponsorship. He has also attracted various projects to his constituency spanning from road rehabilitation and construction, rehabilitation of schools and medical centres, distribution of educational material and construction of solar powered boreholes. He serves as a member of the National Executive council of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His NGO, Benjamin Kalu Foundation is founded on the mission to build the communities that build the nation and has executed several projects to help indigents and less privileged ones in rural Nigeria. Through this organization he has funded educational scholarships for children, agricultural training, entrepreneurship and empowerment programmes for women and youths. He is committed to representing the good people of Bende and bringing to them the dividends of democracy. As a result of his leadership and philanthropy to the Bende people, he was conferred with the prestigious title ‘Utabiri Bende’.
The emergence of these two astute leaders as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, June 13, will complement the quest for justice, equity and meaningful legislation in Nigeria as an act of God.