Speakership: APC adoption of Abass reward for N’West loyalty, says group

Defenders of Constitutional Democracy (DCD) has described the purported adoption of Tajudeen Abass as Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives by the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, as reward for the loyalty of the North West to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While commending Tinubu, the organisation observed that the party’s decision was in line with democratic best practices.

The DCD, in a statement signed by its National Convener, Aliyu Abdullahi, and Director of Contact and Mobilisation, Chukwuma Okoro, yesterday, noted that the North West, from where Abass hails, delivered the highest number of votes to APC in the presidential election, adding that it was only proper that the zone be rewarded with the speakership.

“We received the news of the zoning of the position of Speaker, House of Representatives, to the North West with utmost gladness, and the subsequent endorsement of Tajudeen Abass as the preferred candidate with great joy because a labourer deserves his wages.

“The North West gave the APC 2,652,824 votes, even when both the president-elect and his vice, Kashim Shettima, were not from the zone. In fact, Tinubu got 30 per cent of his total votes from the North West. This shows that the zone is loyal to the party and its candidates,” they stated.

DCD also commended the party’s purported decision to endorse Godswill Akpabio as Senate President, Barau Jibrin as Deputy Senate President and Benjamin Kalu as Deputy Speaker of the House.

They added: “We believe that this combination will usher in the required stability and collaboration with the executive to give the president-elect the impetus to take Nigeria to the next level.”