2027 Election: Brain Behind Opposition Supports for Tinubu Unveiled

• Labour Party's Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, credited Speaker Abbas Tajudeen for the growing alignment between opposition lawmakers and President Tinubu
• Agbese, who represents a Benue State constituency, spoke during an interview in Abuja on Tuesday about the leadership style shaping the 10th Assembly
• The LP lawmaker argued that Abbas' approach to committee appointments and party inclusion had created a cross-party atmosphere worth examining ahead of 2027

Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives and a Labour Party lawmaker representing Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency in Benue State, says the increasing support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is receiving from opposition members in the House can be traced directly to the leadership of Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

Agbese made the remarks during an interview in Abuja on Tuesday, November 10, and shared them with Legit.ng, speaking as one of the more prominent opposition voices openly backing the President's re-election bid in 2027.

He argued that Abbas had built a working environment in the House that prioritised national concerns over party loyalty, giving lawmakers from different platforms a genuine sense of involvement in the legislature's day-to-day business.

Abbas and the 'joint task' philosophy

According to Agbese, the Speaker's commitment to what the 10th Assembly refers to as a "joint task project" had produced a noticeably different dynamic in the chamber. He pointed specifically to how committee positions, including chairmanships, deputy chairmanships, and memberships of both standing and ad-hoc committees, had been distributed across party lines.

"Even in the chairmanships and memberships composition of critical ad-hoc committees of the House, you will observe that the Speaker has been very democratic and all-inclusive in carrying everyone along," Agbese said.

He said the Speaker had shown that good legislative leadership is not about giving the ruling party preferential treatment, but about ensuring every elected member can contribute meaningfully.

Agbese described Abbas as having maintained a culture of consultation and mutual respect in the House, which had in turn allowed lawmakers to focus less on partisan divisions and more on issues that affect ordinary Nigerians, among them economic development, security, infrastructure, employment and living conditions.

Opposition cooperation explained

The LP lawmaker was clear that the cross-party cooperation now visible in the House should not be read simply as a political realignment. He said it was the product of the leadership environment Abbas had created, one that pushed members to evaluate government policies on their merits rather than through a party lens.

Agbese also noted that every lawmaker, regardless of which party they belong to, is primarily accountable to their constituents and must support policies capable of improving lives at the grassroots level.

He added that the significance of this approach was growing as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gathered pace, stressing that national development demanded cross-party collaboration rather than rigid partisan positions.

"The experience in the House demonstrated that political differences should not prevent elected representatives from working together in the interest of the country," he said.

Tinubu dismisses allegation of one-party state

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu commented on the recent allegation by some opposition politicians that he was working to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

Speaking at the APC national summit in Abuja on May 22, he maintained that people were joining his party because they were driving the aspirations of the people.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party had accused Tinubu of causing an opposition party crisis to stage his plan.