A former EFCC investigator, forensic and financial expert Hon Aminu Iya Abbas emerged the speaker of the 7th Adamawa state House of Assembly. Muazu Abari writes.
Tussle for speakership
After months of political intrigues and horse trading among contending political forces across divides, Hon Aminu Iya Abbas, a member representing UBA/Gaya constituency who also served in the 5th Assembly when Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was speaker was elected the new speaker of the 7th house.
Abbas had discovered the diversion of N2bn agric loan to farmers in the 5th Assembly. He was also the chairman House Committee on Public Service and Labour.
His journey from four years political sabbatical to his exalted seat of a speaker by unanimous decision of his colleagues will go down in history as the most crucial and dangerous political journey of his life.
Although, there was no contention about the fact that the senatorial district was to produce the next speaker since the destiny of the state had already been placed in the hands of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and his deputy Chief Seith Crowder from the Northern and Southern senatorial districts respectively, but intrigues usual to politics came to play as many strong contenders entered into the race.
The bone of contention was who among the current crops of 7th assembly lawmakers from the central zone should be made speaker among the PDP lawmakers who are in the majority in the Assembly.
In the current house, the PDP have 13 lawmakers, APC 11 and ADC 1 all amounting to 25 members. Of the 13 PDP lawmakers only 9 are first timers, while the remaining four are ranking lawmakers. Even then, of the four only two namely Hon Aminu Iya Abbas (UBA/GAya) and Hon Simon Isa (Song) are from the central zone.
Interestingly, both Iya Abbas and Simon Isa eventually indicated their interest to vie for speakership and the initial failure of the PDP to wade into the issue almost polarised the party as opposing camps became antagonistic, and it generated no little conflicts.
The in action of the party leadership prompted another PDP lawmaker and a first timer Hon Hamidu Sajoh Lekki (Yola South) to also throw his hat into the ring while, the 6th assembly speaker Hon Kabiru Mijinyawa (APC Yola North) and other APC lawmakers sought to exploit the divisions within the PDP to their advantage. The PDP eventually came alive to its responsibility and endorsed Abbas leading to the withdrawal of other PDP contenders. It also forced the APC members that had hoped to profit from the crack in the ranks of the PDP to drop their ambition.
Factors in his favour
Since Abbas emerged as the new speaker in a unanimous decision, the question most people in the state have asked are what factors shaped his emergence, despite being on four years sabbatical on political?
His legislative record and experiences stand him out from the crowd of first timers. Those that were previously in the 5th assembly are abreast of his vast legislative knowledge, competence and ability to carry everyone along.
The skillful manner he handled his responsibilities and delivered to the expectations of most people in the state during the 5th Assembly endeared him to many people who see in him a visionary leader, trusted and dependable.
A peep at his records in the 5th Assembly speaks volumes of his competencies. He chaired and deputised so many sensitive standing and adhoc committees, these earned him the trust of his colleagues.
He was chairman house committee on public service and labour, vice chairman committee on finance and solid minerals, member committee on rural development works, land and housing, youths and sports, and house services. He was also the chairman of the adhoc committee of the 5th Assembly that unraveled the diversion of N2bn agric loan to farmers by some officials of the state government. At different times he was also deputy minority leader, minority leader, chief whip among others.
The new speaker is a graduate of accountancy and holds master degree holder in treasury management from Bayero University Kano.
Unlike most of his fellow contestants who found themselves in politics by accident, the new speaker has varying years of experiences in both public and private sectors. In these he was mostly successful.
Upon graduation from the university, the new speaker did his NYSC at the Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), Eleme, Port Harcourt as audit assistant and later joined Sigma Securities Limited and rose to become assistant manager. Subsequently, he joined the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) as accountant, donor fund accountant, cashier and investigator. It was at the latter designation that he brought his professional skills to bear in the country’s efforts to stem the tide of financial crime and economic sabotage.
He later left the EFCC to African Petroleum (AP) as budget accountant, and then to KPMG in Lagos where he served meritoriously and assisted many people from his constituency. Going his commitment to the welfare of his people he was persuaded to join politics and into the state assembly race. He contested on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), won and defected to the PDP.
Within 4 years of his representation he sponsored so many bills and people from his constituency across all the electoral wards to study in ABU Zaria, Nigerian leather institute while others were trained on various skills acquisition of their choices to make them self reliant.
Challenges
The speaker is expected to rally all members across the political divides to build a consensus that will facilitate legislation and passage of bills to improve the wellbeing of the people, grow the state economy and foster peace, among the different tribes.
Going by the problems the state had to grapple with during the last administration and the political tension thereform, the speaker would have to redouble efforts to unite the members, collaborate with the executive to hasten the implementation of bills. That won’t be an easy task in view of the obvious political differences which in some cases tended to take prime consideration in debates and decisions.
He must therefore be seen to work at bringing everyone on board and develop a blueprint to that effect. Bridge building and consensus are inevitable attributes he must cultivate and groom and put into use for the sake of ensuring harmony in the combined efforts to uplift the state.
