A little drama ensued as the wives of Tajudeen Abbas, the new speaker, shoved each other during the swearing-in ceremony.
The event which took place at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, and recorded live saw the two women shove for a place beside heir husband.
Abbas had been elected speaker by a landslide, defeating Idris Wase and Sani Jaji, who each received three votes. Abbas secured 353 votes.
As Abbas was ushered onto the stage to take his pledge of allegiance, Kamoru Ogunlana, the deputy clerk of the house, recited the oaths for the new speaker to respond to.
On his left, the new speaker was flanked by his wife and Alhassan Doguwa, the lawmaker representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada federal constituency.
However, another wife of Abbas interrupted the routine event by barging onto the podium and shoving the other wife to the side.
This action appeared to shock Abbas, causing him to halt his oath rendering and exchange heated words with the wife who had barged onto the stage.
Despite the exchanges, both wives remained on the dais as the proceedings continued.
Abbas, a prince from the Zazzau emirate who holds the traditional title of Iyan Zazzau, had a background as a primary school teacher, a polytechnic and university lecturer before entering politics in 2010. He holds a master’s degree and a PhD in business administration.
