10th NASS: Coalition, members-elect condemn ‘secret adoption’ of speaker, deputy speaker

The Democrats Alliance for Good Governance (DAGG), a non-governmental organization, has strongly condemned the reports of the “secret adoption” of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna State and Hon. Benjamin Kalu from Abia State as the speaker and deputy speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, respectively.

According to a report carried by multiple news sites, a group of members-elect who frowned at the purported “secret adoption” which reportedly took place on Friday night, also described the exercise as “an affront on the parliamentarians and the National Assembly as an institution.”

Dr. Williams Martins, the national coordinator of the coalition, stated that the development was not only “demeaning, but degrading and absurd for the caliber of Nigerians who were elected by over 50 million electorates during the 25th February and supplementary elections.”

He added: “Men of goodwill and conscience as well as elected public office holders cannot afford to fold their hands to allow someone who is being reported to be adopted as chief of staff to the incoming president-elect, although a member-elect in the 10th assembly, to recklessly feel he can succeed in imposing any candidate on the people’s parliament.

“To allow such means, they (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 the span of four years of the 10th assembly.

The coalition’s national coordinator warned against any action that may frustrate a united 10th assembly and the tenets of democracy. He also called for a rethink and urged the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the outgoing speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to desist from any act that could bring their names to disrepute.

Another version of the report also quoted aggrieved lawmakers who spoke under condition of anonymity dismissing insinuations over the perceived ill-feelings against Abbas and the spokesman of the House, Kalu.

A lawmaker, who spoke under condition of anonymity, dismissed insinuations over the alleged ill-feelings against Abbas (APC-Kaduna) and Kalu (APC-Abia), the current spokesperson of the Nigerian House of Representatives.

“While we do not have anything against the person and aspiration of the gentleman, we wish to stress that the will of the people and by extension of constituents will determine the choice of who to lead the 10th assembly,” the lawmaker said.

The lawmaker was also quoted as saying that members of the House “shall not under any guise subscribe to any form of ‘master and servant relationship’ in the 10th assembly.”