Newly elected Speaker Tajudeen Abbas has extended a hand of fellowship to his fellow contestants, saying it was time to forge ahead and work together for the common good of Nigerians.
In his inaugural speech, Abbas described the campaign period as democracy at play.
He reminded the members they were holding the mandate on behalf of the Nigerians and must work to justify the confidence of the people.
He said his victory as Speaker was about honouring the trust that has been placed on them and working tirelessly to deliver on the promises of good governance and effective representation.
According to him: “I offer my deepest gratitude and thanks to the Almighty God for His divine guidance and blessings throughout this journey. It is through His grace that I stand before you today as the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
“I wish to sincerely thank you all for finding me worthy of being your Speaker, out of the 360 of us, who are all equals. I also thank Almighty Allah for making this journey possible.
“To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my party, the APC, I say a big thank you for finding me competent to be nominated to serve in this position for the Nigerian people. I thank every other person who has directly or indirectly contributed to this journey.
“This victory is not just about me. It is about all of us coming together as a united House to serve the Nigerian people diligently. It is about honouring the trust that has been placed on us and working tirelessly to deliver on our promises of good governance and effective representation.
“It is worthy to note that the speakership campaign witnessed in the past few months was democracy at play. But today, all of that has come to pass, and it is time to forge ahead and work together for our people for our common good.
” I do not take this mandate bestowed on me as the Nigerian Speaker for granted. I want to assure you today that I shall be just and fair to every one of you irrespective of our perceived differences.
“I shall operate a House that you all will be proud of. I shall be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the House Rules. Our doors will be open for members of APC, PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, APGA, SDP, ADC and YPP as we strongly believe nation building is a Joint Task.”