Reps Minority Caucus Pledges Constructive Opposition, Sets Gbajabiamila’s 2011-2015 Record as Benchmark
Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The newly appointed Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep Abdussamad Dasuki, has pledged that the new Minority Caucus leadership will provide “principled, credible and effective” opposition anchored on good governance rather than confrontation for its own sake.
Speaking in Sokoto on Tuesday while receiving elders and stakeholders of Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency who came to congratulate him on his emergence, Dasuki outlined the vision of the caucus and said its core mandate would be accountability, transparency, legislative scrutiny and policies that improve the lives of Nigerians.
He declared that the Minority Caucus under the new leadership would remain committed to constructive engagement with the executive while holding government accountable in the national interest at all times.
“We are committed to providing principled, credible and effective leadership for the Minority Caucus. Our primary responsibility is not opposition for its own sake, but constructive opposition that promotes good governance, accountability, transparency and laws that improve the lives of Nigerians,” he said.
Dasuki stated that the caucus would draw inspiration from the leadership style of former Minority Leader and now Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, whom he described as a model of effective opposition politics in the House between 2011 and 2015.
According to him, the minimum benchmark for the current Minority Caucus would be the standard set during Gbajabiamila’s tenure (2011-2015), when the opposition played a critical role in holding the government accountable while contributing meaningfully to legislative debates and national development.
“Our minimum standard as a caucus will be the exemplary minority leadership once provided by Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who demonstrated that a vibrant and responsible opposition is essential to strengthening democracy by holding the government accountable and ensuring that the interests of the people remain paramount in parliament,” he stated.
The lawmaker also renewed his call on governors in Northern Nigeria to intensify cooperation in addressing the region’s security challenges, arguing that insecurity has become a national problem requiring collective action and stronger collaboration among state governments.
He noted that criminal elements operate across state boundaries, making it imperative for northern governors to develop coordinated strategies to tackle banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other threats confronting the region.
Dasuki further urged federal and state governments to engage Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries in joint operations against insurgency, stressing that cross-border collaboration was key to containing the spread of violent extremism.
On workers’ welfare, the Deputy Minority Leader weighed in on the minimum wage debate and insisted that state governments do not need to wait for consultations with President Bola Tinubu before increasing pay, saying many states now have the financial capacity to do so.
Reacting to remarks that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum would consult the President on raising the minimum wage to N100,000, he argued that increased revenue allocations, particularly after the devaluation of the naira, have put states in a position to afford N100,000 and above without federal approval.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Action Democratic Congress in Sokoto State, Abdullahi Maigwandu, extolled Dasuki’s leadership qualities and accused some lawmakers from the state of being “bench warmers” at the National Assembly. He promised that ADC would engage the ruling APC with constructive criticism and work to dethrone the party at both state and federal levels in the next election.