Members of the House of Representatives, representing various political parties, on Wednesday called for the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, expressing dissatisfaction with the current honour bestowed upon him.
The House deemed it inappropriate that President Bola Tinubu awarded the title of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) to the Speaker, while the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, received the higher GCON honour.
President Tinubu had announced the conferment of national honours on several leaders during his Independence Day address on Tuesday.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, raised a motion of urgent public importance, arguing that the House of Representatives was being treated as inferior to the Senate. He referenced the GCON awarded to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, noting that the Speaker, ranked 4th in the national protocol order, should not be accorded a lesser honour than the Chief Justice, who ranks 5th.
Several lawmakers echoed this sentiment, clarifying that their call was not in support of Abbas personally, but in defense of the dignity of the Office of the Speaker.
More details to follow…
