Speaker Calls For Legislative Stability To Sustain Reforms Beyond 2027

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Abbas Tajudeen
has called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, to address the high turnover of lawmakers in the National Assembly, warning that the trend poses serious consequences for governance and Nigeria’s democracy.

Dr Tajudeen, who stated this while addressing the party’s National Convention in Abuja, insisted that the legislature must remain an integral part of the current administration’s reform journey, playing critical oversight role in government programmes and policies.

The Speaker stressed that the reforms being implemented by the APC-led administration under President Bola Tinubu were not short-term efforts but a long-term national project that required sustained commitment and continuity.

According to the Speaker, the work already begun by the administration must continue beyond 2027 to ensure that the foundation already laid is fully built upon and gains of the reforms are not lost.

The lawmaker, however, emphasised that continuity should not be limited to the executive arm alone but must also extend to the legislature.

He noted that the frequent turnover of senators and members of the House has come at a significant cost to governance, lawmaking, and public resources, particularly in the repeated training and retraining of new legislators.

Dr Tajudeen warned that the constant loss of experienced lawmakers weakens institutional memory, disrupts legislative momentum, and undermines the consistency needed for effective policy implementation.

Mr President, Your Excellencies, our governors, I make this appeal with urgency. As we commit to continuity at the executive level, we must also secure stability within the legislature. The high turnover of senators and members over the years has come at a cost to governance, to lawmaking, and to public resources spent on constant training and retraining. Experience is lost. Institutional memory is weakened. Momentum is broken.”

He urged the party leadership and stakeholders to make deliberate efforts to support the return of committed and performing legislators in order to strengthen legislative stability and sustain national reforms.

According to him, the executive and legislature must work in partnership to legislate reforms, oversee programmes, and protect the national interest.

The speaker added that the push for continuity represents the discipline of progress, stressing that meaningful national development can only be achieved when institutions move forward without losing ground.

“We cannot continue to start every cycle afresh and expect consistent progress. The legislature is not separate from this journey. It is a partner in it. We legislate for the same reforms. We oversee the same programmes. We defend the same national interest.
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‎“I, therefore, urge deliberate efforts to support the return of committed and performing legislators so that together, the executive and the legislature can sustain this path and complete the work we have begun.”

He also called on the APC to translate its political strength into measurable results, impact, and public trust, while describing the North-West as a strong example of the party’s unity and dominance.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji