The race for the speakership position in the House of Representatives has taken an interesting turn as Tajudeen Abbas, the Chairman of the House Committee on Land Transport, has emerged as the frontrunner in a survey conducted by Legislative Trends Assessors, a parliamentary research-based organization.
POLITICS NIGERIA learnt that according to a report released by the organization and signed by its Director of Communication, Research, and Strategy, Abubakar Tijani, a total of 292 members-elect were interviewed, with Abbas receiving 188 votes, giving him a clear lead over his competitors.
The remaining 104 respondents were split among the other ten contenders for the speakership position.
“The Legislative Trends Assessors is a strategic research-based organisation with a bias for parliamentary activities. We have been operating since 2007 and our polls have been very reliable.
“In this research, which was carried out between March 25 and April 25, 2023, we were able to reach out to 292 members-elect for the 10th House of Representatives and all of them volunteered information.
“At the end of the survey, 188 members-elect voted for Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna state while Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gadgi representing Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke federal constituency of Plateau state came second with 40 votes representing 13.6 per cent and Hon. Muktar Betara representing Biu/Bayo/Shani and Kwaya Kusar federal constituency of Borno state scored 26 votes representing 8.9 per cent.”
According to the group, “We carried out the research on eleven candidates who have either declared or signified their intention to contest for the position of Speaker in the next assembly.
“We asked a total of 12 questions revolving around zoning, competence, character and popularity and at the end of the survey, after analyzing the data collected, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas emerged as the preferred candidate.
“Majority of the respondents, who are members-elect voted in favour of zoning, character and competence. Many of them preferred the North West to produce the Speaker while some voted in favour of the North Central”.
It added that “The second and final opinion poll on the election of Speaker and other presiding officers in the National Assembly will be carried out as soon as the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima are sworn in on May 29.
“We want to carry out the second survey because this is a political poll and with politics nothing is static. It is a very dynamic and flexible exercise and things change fast. We believe that when the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) unveils its zoning formula, they may be some changes because some candidates will withdraw and new alliances will be formed.”
This development comes on the heels of a recent visit by another top contender for the position, Muktar Betera Aliyu, to President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seeking support and endorsement.
Betara, who represents Biu/Bayo/Shani and Kwaya Kusar Federal Constituency of Borno State, has been actively canvassing for support from party members, members-elect, former lawmakers, and other stakeholders.
