The House of Representatives has turned down the intended award of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) to Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker of the House.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced various categories of honours for the country’s leaders during his Independence Day address on Tuesday.

Tinubu mentioned that Akpabio and Kekere-Ekun will receive the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), while Abbas and Barau Jibrin, the Deputy President of the Senate, will be granted the CFR.

The President also indicated that Ben Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, will be awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

Tinubu did not specify the date for these honours.

However, during the plenary session on Wednesday, the House deemed it unacceptable for Tinubu to grant the GCON to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), while only awarding the CFR to Abbas.

During the plenary, Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, introduced a motion of urgent public importance, stating that the treatment of the House of Representatives as subordinate to the Senate was intolerable, in clear reference to the GCON awarded to Senate President Akpabio.

He pointed out that the Speaker holds the 4th position in the order of protocol, questioning why the CJN, ranked 5th, was given a higher honour.

Lawmakers took turns expressing their views, asserting they were not advocating for Abbas personally, but for the dignity of the Speaker’s office.

Meanwhile, the Reps Minority Caucus has congratulated the “People’s Speaker,” Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, on receiving a national honour and celebrating his 59th birthday.

This was communicated in a congratulatory note signed by the Caucus leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, on Tuesday.

The Caucus stated: “The leadership and members of the Minority Caucus in Nigeria’s House of Representatives join colleagues and associates in celebrating Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House of Representatives, his family, and well-wishers on his birthday and the national honour conferred by President Bola Tinubu (GCFR).

“The Caucus is particularly pleased that since becoming the 15th Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, his steadfast commitment to nation-building and national development has been acknowledged by the Federal Government. Given his inclusive and servant-leadership governance style, the award of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) to him is a fitting tribute to his unique and admirable qualities.

“To us, the ‘double honours’ celebrations of Speaker Abbas’s birthday and national awards serve as a glowing testament to the ongoing legacy of service by an exceptional intellectual-politician who consistently demonstrates transparency, fairness, hard work, discipline, and altruism.”