El-Rufai Never Wanted Me To Become The Speaker – Abbas

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has claimed that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, did not want him to become the Speaker.

He, however, praised the incumbent Governor, Uba Sani, for standing by him and doing everything possible for him to emerge the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

Speaking during an empowerment programme, Abbas lamented that El-Rufai’s lack of support is sad and unfortunate.

The Speaker added that President Bola Tinubu told him to thank Governor Sani for emerging the Speaker.

“It is unfortunate and sadly, up until now, surprising to me that the previous Kaduna State government was the number one opposition against me becoming the Speaker of the House of Reps. The one who stood for me and did everything he could to make me Speaker is Gov Uba Sani.”

“President Tinubu told me himself that I should thank God, but I should also thank Uba Sani for becoming Speaker,” Abbas declared.

Meanwhile, the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have dismissed the possibility of an opposition coalition unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, labeling recent political maneuvers by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as politically opportunistic and without merit.

Their reactions came after a high-profile visit by Atiku and El-Rufai, who were joined by former governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), and Achike Udenwa (Imo), to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Kaduna last week.