APC rep: US, UK lawmakers understudying Nigeria’s house of reps model

Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesperson of the house of representatives, says the parliament has become a reference point worldwide.

Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo federal constituency of Benue, said parliaments in the United States and the United Kingdom have dispatched delegations to Nigeria to study the nation’s house of representatives.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Abuja at the close of the second edition of the house of representatives open week, Agbese described the event as “a revolutionary blueprint for global legislative engagement”.

The 2025 edition was themed, ‘Deepening Citizens’ Trust and Participation: Celebrating Our Journey as the People’s House’.

“It is so beautiful that my friends from America, the UK, and other parts of the world have informed me that the US congress, the British house of commons, and other internationally respected parliaments are now sending their representatives to Nigeria to study how the house of representatives is doing it,” Agbese said.

“Nigeria’s parliament has become a reference point globally. That is the legacy speaker Abbas is building.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker called the open week “a masterstroke of democratic innovation” and “the gold standard in legislative-citizen engagement”.

“Speaker Abbas Tajudeen has not only raised the bar. He has redefined what legislative leadership should look like in the 21st century,” Agbese said.

“This open week initiative is a stroke of political genius. It is bold, people-centred, and historically significant. Never before has any Nigerian speaker demonstrated such unwavering commitment to openness, accessibility, transparency and the democratic spirit as Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

“That the world is now turning to Nigeria to learn is a testament to speaker Abbas’ visionary leadership.

“He has placed our legislature in the league of the most open and progressive in the world. This is not just a programme. It is a movement, a national renaissance of trust in democratic institutions.

“Speaker Abbas has inspired a new generation of Nigerians to believe again in the legislature. Rt. hon. Abbas Tajudeen has given us a model, not just for legislative transparency, but for responsive leadership.

“He is a rare gift to this nation and a torchbearer for a new democratic ethos. This is the first time in the history of any parliament in the world that such a deeply participatory initiative is being institutionalised.

“The 10th house under speaker Abbas has moved from promises to practice. He deserves every accolade. His leadership is bold, visionary, and transformative.”

Agbese said Abbas is the “architect of a new parliamentary culture, one that prioritises people over power, dialogue over distance, and transparency over tradition”.

“I have received calls from colleagues across the political divide, as well as from members of the diplomatic corps, civil society, and constituents across Nigeria,” he said.

“The verdict is unanimous. This is the house of the people, and the people are being heard. This is not mere symbolism.”