The APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen as leaders of the 10th national assembly.
As the race for the Federal House of Representatives Speaker intensifies, some Northern lawmakers under the All Progressives Congress have kicked against the “adoption” of Tajudeen Abbas for the speakership in the 10th assembly.
The APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio and Tajudeen as leaders of the 10th national assembly.
Akpabio was nominated for President of the Senate, while Tajudeen was endorsed for the role of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The announcement came after two months of intense politicking by some lawmakers-elect for leadership positions in the national assembly.
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.
However, a Northern lawmaker-elect said the “adoption” by APC is “an affront on the parliamentarians and the national assembly as an institution”.
He described Tajudeen as a stooge of the outgoing Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to him, some Northern power brokers are ready to challenge the choice of the lawmaker from Kaduna State.
The lawmaker-elect asked the APC to have a “rethink” and desist from any act that could throw the House of Representatives into disarray.
“APC acting the script of Governor El-Rufai and Gbajabiamila and it would be a difficult run for them. Tajudeen is not even recognised as a core Northerner and can’t represent our interest.
"We are in the know of the alliance with the Speaker (Gbajabiamila) to inflict Tajudeen on us. But I can tell you that plans are underway to present and endorse another credible Northern candidate."
He added that Tajudeen needed to have the support of the North in his political aspiration.
The lawmaker-elect said, "I can tell you that Hon Tajudeen Abass will not get the support from stakeholders in the North. As a first, his origin is in question and his competence, integrity and track record is nothing to write home about.
"This is a sensitive matter and has dominated the discourse in several fora I have attended with my colleagues.”
A serving lawmaker added that though there had been overtures by Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Tajudeen’s behalf but these had not yielded any fruit.
“We can tell you that Hon Tajudeen Abass will not get our support. As a first, his origin is in question, and the fact that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state is projecting him makes him a hard sell.
"Our agreement not to support Honorable Abass is not unconnected with his lack of track record and general unacceptability by respected northern individuals and stakeholders.
"We were convinced Hon Tajudeen Abass does not make the list because of his lack of track record in the House of Representatives. It is a struggle to see any footprint of his in terms of contributions to the growth and unity of the country. You only need to look at his lack of appeal across the board and the likes.
“Undoubtedly, he is not even prepared for the job. I see how the only endorsement he has is that of a dictatorial state governor. He has not gotten the endorsement of key figures in the northern political landscape.”
When pressed further on why he vehemently dismissed the chances of Tajudeen, he stated that the lawmaker was a Nasir El-rufai project that has been met with stiff resistance.
"Hon Tajudeen Abass is not a sell-able aspirant. The question is, do the northerners see him as one of them? This has been a topic for several years and won't stop anytime soon. Nasir EL-rufai wants to use him for some purposes that defeat common sense. Maybe a political miscalculation.
“We know the game plan between the speaker and the governor of Kaduna State. It won't work because we want someone we can call our own, not a puppet from the almighty Nasir Elrufai.
"The National Assembly is not Kaduna state. He has to accept this fact and stop all the manoeuverings. We are resolute in this regard. There is no way Hon Tajudeen Abass will emerge as a speaker without the support of the northern caucus in the House of Representatives."
Ahead of the inauguration of the National Assembly in June, some returning and new members have begun to lobby their colleagues for the country's fourth most-coveted position.