The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, was on Saturday briefly disrupted while declaring his fifth-term bid in Zaria, Kaduna State, when an unidentified man attempted to pull his agbada on the podium.
In a now-deleted video posted on Facebook, the man was seen grabbing the Speaker’s attire as he addressed supporters.
Abbas briefly lost his balance but quickly regained composure and continued his speech.
The clip had attracted several views before it was taken down.
The incident occurred at the Mallawa Eid Ground, where Abbas formally announced his intention to seek a fifth term in the House of Representatives.
Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the Speaker’s media aide, could not be reached for comment.
However, a source close to the Speaker said the incident was not an attack but an attempt by the individual to seek the Speaker’s attention over a medical condition.
‘The person involved is ill and was only trying to draw the Speaker’s attention to seek assistance for his health condition. In fact, his hands are swollen.
‘If you observe the video carefully, he first raised his hands before grabbing the Speaker’s agbada.
‘Unfortunately, some people are trying to turn it into propaganda. They deliberately edited the video to show only the moment the man grabbed the Speaker’s cloth in order to give it a different meaning,’ the source said.
Daily Trust reports that Abbas was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2011.
Speaking at the event, the Speaker said his representation had attracted development projects to Zaria Federal Constituency.
‘Today, I formally declare my intention to seek another mandate to represent the good people of Zaria Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
‘This declaration is not based on promises alone. It is based on work. It is based on results. It is based on a record that our people can see and verify,’ he said.
Abbas also described himself as ‘one of the most active lawmakers in the country,’ noting that he had sponsored 74 bills, 21 of which were signed into law.
‘These were not efforts designed for publicity. They were aimed at solving problems and strengthening governance,’ he said.