Since campaigns began, posters and billboards of Hon. Abass Adigun Agboworin (AAA), Member representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, have dotted strategic locations, with canvassers sharing fliers across communities. This begs a rational question: Why should we vote for him again?
For any voter who values his ballot, three questions are pertinent: Why him again after two terms? What has been the quality of his representation on the floor of the National Assembly? How has he impacted lives in his constituency and beyond?
On the question of tenure, a quick check of the Electoral Act shows that a legislator can seek re-election as many times as he is qualified. The two-term limit applies only to executive positions – President, Governor and Local Government Chairman. This is not accidental. The executive formulates and implements policy, while the legislature makes laws for good governance. Lawmaking requires institutional memory, hence the National Assembly is a house for experienced professionals from diverse fields – security, banking, engineering, law, health – with integrity and a willingness to serve.
The National Assembly is not a training ground for freshers. The longer you stay, the greater your experience, ranking, network and influence. On this score, candidates of the opposition parties cannot match Hon. Agboworin.
Hon. Agboworin is a retired officer of the United States Navy with several awards for excellence. His background in security and international exposure is a vital asset in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges. Despite lucrative offers to remain in the US after retirement, he chose to return home to serve. In just seven and a half years, he has risen from Deputy Chairman of a House Committee to Chairman of a Committee. This is not automatic; it is a testament to his pedigree, professional track record, humility, experience and influence among colleagues.
On legislative contributions, his role extends beyond sponsoring bills to lawmaking, representation, oversight and budgetary review – tasks involving rigorous debate, scrutiny and lobbying that a newcomer would struggle to deliver.
On security, he opposed the hiring of foreign mercenaries and moved a motion for the recruitment of more youths into security agencies and the recall of senior military officers (Generals) compulsorily retired following the appointment of new Service Chiefs.
As Chairman, House Committee on Narcotics and Drugs (NDLEA), he sponsored the NDLEA Amendment Bill, popularly called the “Welfare Bill”. The Bill sought to move NDLEA from the Ministry of Justice to the Presidency for better attention, prescribe life imprisonment for drug concealment, storage and movement, improve the welfare of NDLEA officers and establish more rehabilitation centres.
The Bill was passed by the National Assembly in late 2024 but President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declined assent in 2025, citing constitutional and transparency concerns, particularly regarding the proposal to retain 5% of recovered proceeds for NDLEA operations.
After declining assent, the President transmitted a new Executive Bill – the NDLEA Bill 2026 – to the Senate seeking to repeal both the NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act and create a consolidated framework against cultivation, processing, sale and trafficking of hard drugs. As of today, the Executive Bill is still at an early stage before the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, with no assurance it will be passed before the end of the 10th Assembly.
This is one of the things dragging this country backward. If it is truly about national interest, why throw away the baby with the bathwater? Why decline assent without engaging the sponsor to review the contentious clauses for quick passage? Initiating a fresh Executive Bill on the same subject is a waste of time and resources. When politics is at play, national interest becomes a spectator. Hon. Agboworin does not belong to the President’s party, so some do not want him to take the glory.
On oversight, as a member of several committees, he has exposed inefficiencies in ministries, departments and agencies caused by bureaucratic bottlenecks and recommended measures for effective management. On budgeting, he rightly views the fight against drugs as a national security matter requiring dedicated funding, hence his proposal of 5% of recovered funds from drug barons for the Agency’s operations – a proposal passed by the House but blocked at the Presidency.
On representation, Hon. Agboworin consistently prioritizes his people’s interest. He sponsored the Bill for the creation of Ibadan State and argued that Ibadan deserves more LGAs based on landmass, population and volume of economic activities. This is at the heart of every Ibadan indigene and was echoed by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, during his coronation.
These contributions are not accidental but deliberate efforts at ensuring quality representation for Ibadan North-East/South-East.
The most fundamental question, however, is what a legislator brings home. Hon. Agboworin anchored his stewardship on a five-point agenda: Education, Health, Security, Infrastructure, Youth Empowerment and Employment.
Despite poor budget implementation in recent years due to inadequate releases from the executive, his ranking, personal commitment and influence have enabled him to deliver tangible dividends:
Education: Construction of blocks of classrooms across the constituency, equipping them with furniture and fans, distribution of free school bags, notebooks and textbooks to pupils, free WAEC and JAMB forms for senior secondary students, and free coaching classes to prepare them for examinations.
Security: Installation of security gates in several communities, donation of generating sets to police stations and other security formations to light up their offices.
Infrastructure: Facilitation of the largest Nigerian Air Force Base in the South-West, sited in Ibadan, construction of roads, boreholes, public toilets and bathrooms in strategic locations.
Health and Sanitation: Installation of solar-powered streetlights in Primary Health Centres across all 24 wards, organization of medical outreaches, and provision of ambulances for emergency response.
Youth Empowerment and Employment: Training of youths in digital marketing, ICT, programming and entrepreneurship with start-up kits and capital; training of hundreds of women and youths in agribusiness – fishery, poultry and crop farming – with materials and funds; facilitation of federal appointments for youths and skills acquisition for artisans and petty traders.
Today, the name Abass Adigun Agboworin is a household name in Ibadanland. His choice is not about family name, political party or financial war chest. It is about professional background, experience, quality of representation, integrity, grassroots connection and delivery of democratic dividends.
Therefore, the good people of Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency should and will consider him again and again.
#Vote Abass Adigun Agboworin
#Vote APM
