Although the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to declare its position on the zoning of principal offices of the 10th House of Representatives, lawmakers-elect from the North West, who have their eyes on the position

With less than two months to the proclamation of the 10th National Assembly, campaign for presiding and principal officers has commenced with over 20 candidates at the last count indicating intention to contest for the various positions. In the House of Representatives, 11 members-elect have signified their intention to slug it out for the position of speaker. Although the ruling APC will be making its zoning arrangement public after the Sallah holiday, indications have emerged that the position of speaker may be ceded to either the North West or North Central. It is against this backdrop that analysts are of the view that three lawmakers will be in clear lead for the position should the party sobe the position to the North-West. They are Hon. Tajudeen Abass from Kaduna, Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji from Zamfara and the House leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, who was declared winner in the last Saturday’s supplementary elections in Kano. Other contestants from the zone include Hon. Sada Soli (Katsina) and Hon. Makki Yalleman Abubakar (Jigawa).

Tajudeen Abass

Representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna State since 2011, Tajudeen Abass is one of the three top contenders, who stands a chance to clinch the speakership. In his three terms in the House of Representatives, Abass has exuded uncommon excellence in the pursuit of the primary responsibility of a legislator, which is lawmaking. Popularly referred to as ‘Mr. Bills’ by most analysts, the Iyan Zazzau has shown that he is not a run-off the mill lawmaker but one who is prepared. In the 8th Assembly, Abass emerged as the third highest sponsor with 43 bills and 13 motions.

Presently, he is the highest sponsor of bills in the 9th Assembly with 78 bills and seven motions to his credit. Of these bills, Mr. President has assented to 20, which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria’s parliament. Born 57 years ago, Abass is well educated and holds a PhD in Business Management from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.

He began his primary education at LEA Primary School, Lemu in Zaria in 1970 and got his First School Leaving Certificate in 1976. He was at Government Secondary School, Makarfi between 1976 and 1978 but was later transferred to Katsina Teachers College in 1978 and passed out in 1981 with the Teachers Grade II Certificate. He later obtained a diploma in Accounting at the Ahmadu Bello University in 1984. He would later return to ABU in 1985 and graduated in 1988 with a B.Sc.

in Business Administration and capped it up with a Masters of Business Administration in 1993 at the same university before taking a doctorate degree in 2010 at the UDU Sokoto. Abass began his public service career on a humble note as a primary school teacher in 1981 and left thereafter to join Kaduna Cooperative Bank Ltd as a clerical officer where he worked for one year between 1984 and 1985 before joining the services of Trust Acceptance Limited as an Investment Officer. He also left after a year and joined Kaduna State Polytechnic (Now Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria) Bursary Depart-ment as Accountant II. He transferred his services to academics as Lecturer II in 1989 with the Finance and Accounting and was in fact the founding Head of Department and taught until 1993, when he became the Area Marketing Manager with Nigeria Tobacco Distributors Company (British- American Tobacco).

Between 1998 and 2001, he served as the General Manager of the Jos Tobacco Distribution Company. Desirous to pursue knowledge, Abass returned to the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria as a Senior Lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department in 2001 until 2005. When Kaduna State University was established, he joined the services of the university as a Lecturer I in the Department of Accounting, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, where he was also the founding Head of Department until 2010. Abass cut his political teeth in 2011 when he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent Zaria Federal Constituency on the platform of the Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Apart from being deputy chairman, committee on legislative compliance between 2011 and 2015, he also served on different standing and ad hoc committees of the House.

He was reelected in 2015 and was made Chairman, House Committee on Solid Minerals by Speaker Yakubu Dogara. He was reelected for the second time in 2019 and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila named him Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport. Abass has been the Caucus Leader, Kaduna State, House of Representatives since 2019 and chaired the Sub Committee on Constitutional Review Conference for North Central GeoPolitical in 2021. He also served as the Treasurer, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (African Chapter), Governing Council member Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies 2019 to Date, (NILDS) representing North West Geo Political Zone.

He enjoys the backing of his governor,Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, who is said to be demanding for speakership as compensation for his support for the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Abass has promised to give a strong fight in the run for the speakership should the party zone it to the North West.

He is a loyal party man and will certainly not rock the boat if the party decides to cede the position to another geopolitical zone.

Aminu Sani Jaji

A second-timer, the 49-year old is clearly one of the frontline contenders, who has been described by many as one with the needed personal qualities to lead the House in the next four years. He is said to have integrity, insight and inclusiveness, which are the essentials of leadership and good representation. He is seen as the bridge between the young and the old.

The Garkuwan Matasan Arewa represented the Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 8th Assembly (2015-2019) and served as chairman of the House Committee on National Security, Intelligence and Public Safety. While in the House, he was said to have given a good account of himself, serving on several committees and sponsoring many bills among others.

A former gubernatorial aspirant in the 2019 elections, he is today the most visible young politician in Zamfara State. Jaji is a serious contender for the position of speaker and there is no doubt that he would be that candidate to beat if it is zoned to the North West. The lawmaker is said to be close to President-elect, which explains why he served as the Director of Contact and Mobilisation, Tinubu and Shettima Presidential Campaign Organisation.

He was also a collation agent for Tinubu in the presidential election. The governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, is also said to be behind his aspiration. A well-heeled young man, Jaji is presently the National Coordinator of the renowned group, Baba For All, a group, which has traversed the length and breadth of the country reaching out to the needy and distressed people irrespective of religion, political affiliation, or ethnicity.

The lawmaker attended Birnin Magaji Model Primary School between 1987-1992, Government Secondary School, Kaura Namoda, from where he graduated in 1998. He obtained a National Diploma in Community Health (CHEW) at the Sultan Abdulrahman School of Health Technology, Gwadabawa, as well as an HND in Microbiology/Virology and National Certificate on Community Health Extension Worker. In addition, Jaji has a B. Sc in Microbiology and a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Public Health (ATBU) from the Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (ATBU). His academic accomplishment include four master’s degrees: MSc in Health Economics at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) in 2013, MSc in Public Health at the Maryam Abacha American University of Niger (MAAUN) in 2017, MSc in Environmental Management (BUK) and M.Sc in Criminal Law (ABU). He is currently a PhD student at Walden University in America. His sprawling political career began in 2008 when he emerged as the chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area. Within a space of four years, the youthful Jaji shot into limelight, when he was elected chairman of Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State in 2012 and served until 2015. The effervescent politician would serve concurrently as the Secretary of the All Local Government Association of Nigeria (ALGON) in Zamfara State. This marked the beginning of a flourishing political journey. Due to his excellent performance as chairman, Jaji, a thoroughbred grassroots and tenacious politician, was in 2015, elected by the people of Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to represent them at the House of Representatives. While in the House between 2015 and 2019, he justified the confidence reposed in him by his constituents. He was the chairman of the House Committee on National Security, Intelligence and Public Safety. He also served on several committees and within four years sponsored many bills among others. He impacted positively on the lives and wellbeing of his constituents building schools, mosques, hospitals and other infrastructure and social amenities across the length and breadth of the state in his first four years. Desirous to serve his state at a much higher level, Jaji aspired to the governorship of Zamfara State in 2019 under the umbrella of the APC. Although he was not successful, he teamed up with other party faithful to galvanise reconciliation of party members and repositioned it for further successes. This could be seen in the general election result that saw Zamfara State deliver massive votes to the President-elect, Bola and the Vice- President-elect, Kashim Shettima as well as majority of Senate, House of Representatives and state Assembly seats.

Alhassan Ado Doguwa

The majority leader of the House holds the dual traditional titles of Sarkin Yakin Burum Burum and Yariman Dadin Kowa and has been representing Tudun Wada/Doguwa federal constituency of Kano State since 2007. He is very popular not only among his colleagues but widely known by Nigerians as the lawmaker with four wives and 28 children and still counting. A holder of the prestigious national honour of the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON), Doguwa who won the just concluded supplementary elections in Kano is certainly a top contender for the position of speaker being the highest ranking lawmaker of the House from the North West by virtue of being the House leader. Although Doguwa is yet to declare his intention openly but it is a known fact that the House leader would vie for the prime position if it is zoned to the North West. In 2015, he was in the race for speaker until the party eventually zoned it to the South-West. His ambition is however riddled with hurdles as he is currently standing trial at Kano Senior Magistrate Court on five count charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, and unlawful possession of firearms, mischief and incitement of public disturbance.

Doguwa, who is on bail was alleged to have conspired with one Bashir Dahiru and five others now at large to breach public peace in Tudun-Wada LGA by setting ablaze the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) office and leading to the death of one Alhassan Sarki Pawa and Aminu Malam. He was also alleged to be in possession of a gun in which he used to shoot one dead and left about three other sustaining injuries. The House leader has since denied any culpability in the allegations. Born on 14 August 1965, Doguwa is a First Class graduate of Mass Communications from Bayero University Kano.

A focused personality, Doguwa joined politics immediately after graduating and became an elected member of the House of Representatives under the defunct SDP in 1992. In fact, it is only Doguwa and the chief whip of the House, Hon. Mohammed Mongonu (APC, Borno) who served in the House in 1992 and are part of the current Assembly. After the aborted Third Republic, Doguwa staged a comeback on the political scene in 2000, when he was appointed as Special Adviser to the Kano State governor on Environment. He later worked as a Special Adviser on Governmental Affairs and Political Party Affairs to Senate Presidents Chief Adolphus Wabara and Senator Ken Nnamani respectively.

In 2007, he returned to the House and became the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Having served the nation and especially his constituents diligently, the people of Tudun Wada/Doguwa federal constituency re-elected Doguwa in 2011 and he served as chairman, House Committee on MDGs. In 2015, he was elected to serve for a fourth term. He will certainly be a top contender if the party cedes the position of House speaker to the North-West. (New Telegraph)