The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Tuesday, swore in three newly elected members of the 10th National Assembly following their victories in recent by-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The swearing-in brings the Green Chamber closer to full capacity after several months of operating with vacant seats created by the death of four lawmakers and the resignation of one member.
The event took place on Tuesday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, where the Clerk of the House administered the oath of office to the lawmakers in the presence of Speaker Abbas and other members, marking the official resumption of plenary after a two-month recess.
The new lawmakers are Omosede Igbinedion of the All Progressives Congress (APC), representing Ovia Southwest/Northeast Federal Constituency of Edo State; Rabiu Mukhtar (APC), representing Garki/Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State; and Felix Joseph Bagudu (APC), representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.
Their emergence followed the by-elections conducted by INEC to fill the vacant seats, one of which became open after Denis Idahosa resigned to contest the Edo State deputy governorship election.
Two other lawmakers-elect, Yetunde Elegbeji from Ogun State and Fola Oyekunle from Oyo State, who also won in the by-elections, were absent at Tuesday’s plenary and are expected to be inaugurated at a later date.
Following the oath-taking, Speaker Abbas led members into a closed-door session to deliberate on key legislative matters, including pending bills, the state of the economy, and issues affecting the minority caucus.
The addition of the new lawmakers is expected to strengthen the lower chamber as it resumes full legislative business on national issues such as security, economic recovery, and budget implementation.
