Reps demand GCON honour for speaker, reject CFR

PUNCH

Members of the House of Representatives, drawn from various political parties, on Wednesday called for the conferment of the national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

The House described as demeaning the conferment of the Commander of the Federal Republic on the Speaker and the GCON on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, by President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that President Tinubu announced the conferment of different categories of honours on the nation’s leaders during his Independence Day speech on Tuesday.

Moving a motion of urgent public importance during Wednesday’s plenary session, the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, described as unacceptable the treatment of the House of Representatives as if it were inferior to the Senate, in apparent reference to the conferment of the GCON on the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

He noted that in the order of protocol, the Speaker is ranked 4th, questioning why the CJN, who is ranked 5th, was accorded a higher honour.

The lawmakers, who took turns to make their contributions, said they were not speaking for Abbas as an individual, but for the Office of the Speaker.

Details later…