TheCable

Femi Gbajabiamila, former speaker of the house of representatives, says he hopes Tajudeen Abbas, his successor, will “continue” from where he concluded his tenure.

Abbas was elected speaker of the lower legislative chamber during the inauguration of the 10th national assembly on Tuesday.

He defeated Idris Wase and Sani Jaji by a landslide to win the election on Tuesday.

Benjamin Kalu, the lawmaker from Abia state, was elected as the deputy speaker unopposed.

Abbas polled 353 votes while Wase and Jaji got three votes each.

Speaking while presenting his handover note, Gbajabiamila said he believes Abbas will do a “good job”, adding that he has the required legislative experience.

“On behalf of the members of the ninth and 10th assembly, I congratulate you on your election as the speaker of the 10th assembly,” he said.

“I wish you well. It is not an easy feat. But from what I know, you’ll do a good job.

“They are your members. On behalf of them, I hand over handover notes as the speaker of the 9th assembly. This will be a guide to you and I hope you continue from where I left.”

Abbas, 59, was first elected to the house of representatives in 2011 on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

He is a prince from the Zazzau emirate and holds the traditional title of Iyan Zazzau.