By Danlawan Lere
Over the past two decades, precisely after six consecutive General Elections, Nigeria’s National Assembly has shown significant consistency wherein most Members of the two hallowed Chambers failed in their bid to return to their coveted seats. Since 2003 General elections, new Parliamentarians have always outnumbered the returning Legislators. The 2023 General elections, especially the House of Reps election is not an exception. However, few Members of the House of Reps have proved their mettle both in terms of political wittiness, parliamentary proficiency and their abilities to responsively represent their respective constituencies. In other words, these few exceptions scale their various party primaries as well as the general elections. Simple as these hurdles might seem, it is no doubt clear that only few has the agility to withstand all odds and secure the mandates of their people, again and again and again.
One of such exceptional Members is the current Leader of the House, Hon Alhassan Ado Doguwa (Sardaunan Rano) who has just won his re-lection bid for the 6th time. Doguwa who represents Tudunwada/Doguwa Federal Constituency resoundingly won his re-election in a hotly contested election that extends to a by-election. In an election which was largely fool proof; in an election that defied all machinations, accusations and never-seen before political intrigue, Hon Doguwa proved his mettle and emerged victorious. At the risk of being immodest, one can say that Doguwa remains the most dogged politician amongst the entire honourable Members of the House of Reps.
It behooves on the Members of the 10th Assembly that will occupy the Green Chamber to leverage on the wealth of experience, peculiar parliamentary exposure and the outstanding political acumen of Alhassan Doguwa and consider him as their first among equals. This is because his profound political background, his vast legislative experiences and resounding intellectual pedigree stand him out over and above other Honourable Members of the House. He will be the most senior ranking Member from the Northern part of Nigeria in the coming 10th Assembly.
Born on August 14, 1965 from a humble Hausa/Fulani political family, Alhassan Ado Doguwa’s father, late Alhaji Ado UPGA was a prominent member of the First Republic NEPU, a Kano-based political party that later joined the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), which formed a strong and formidable national opposition to the then leading Northern Peoples Congress (NPC).
A First Class Graduate of Mass Communications from Bayero University Kano, Hon Alhassan Doguwa is a focused personality who cuts his teeth in politics immediately after graduation. When he therefore won the House of Representatives seat under the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1992, it did not take him long to register his exceptional presence in the House. After the military ousted the then political transition, Hon Doguwa then reclined to his hometown and stayed with his people, quite unlike his colleagues that have chosen to stay in the cities. Due to his abiding penchant for the Legislative duties, and after several other political appointments as Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Environment, Special Adviser on Governmental Affairs and Political Party Affairs to Senate Presidents Chief Adolphus Wabara and Senator Ken Nnamani respectively, he warmly entrenched himself back in the hearts of his constituents who elected him again to the House of Reps in 2003. They have since then been re-electing him to represent them again and again!
One cannot help but marvel at Hon Doguwa anytime he has the floor in the Green Chamber. He has mastered the Rules of the House just as he mastered the rules of the game. He has seen it all in the House Chamber acquiring sterling legislative and leadership experiences through the services he rendered as Deputy Chair of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) (2007 – 2011); Chairman, House Committee on MDGs (2011 – 2015); Chief Whip (2015 – 2019) and now Majority Leader of the House (2019 – date). No Member has this excellent record across the entire Northern Nigeria.
It is on record that Hon Alhassan was a frontline player in the House struggles that led to the emergence of Rt. Hon Dimeji Bankole as Speaker in the 6th Assembly; Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as Speaker in the 7th Assembly; Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara in the 8th Assembly and Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila in the present 9th Assembly.
It will therefore, not be out of place if Hon Doguwa is considered by the Returning and Members-elect to lead them in the 10th Assembly considering his track record as one of the most visible, vocal, erudite and prolific Member of the House of Representatives.
The President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu will no doubt appreciate working with committed, outstanding and experienced legislators to bring about the needed transformation of not only the House of Reps, but the country as a whole. The House will immensely benefit from a leadership of Hon Doguwa who has all the qualities and capabilities to lay a sound foundation for a proactive law making framework that will be beneficial to all and sundry Nigerians. A wise counsel.
