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| Femi Gbajabiamila |
Ahead of the battle for the leadership of the 8th Assembly next week, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) speakership candidate for the House of Representatives. Gbajabiamila is the Former minority leader (of the 7th Assembly) and lawmaker representing Surulere I Federal Constituency (of Lagos State) in the House of Representatives.
Gbajabiamila emerged after the primaries conducted by the party at a meeting held between the lawmakers and the party leadership today at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja, Nigeria.
Out of the 218 lawmakers-elect in the APC caucus for the incoming House of Representatives, only 157 took part in the election as others had stormed out of the venue with their preferred candidate, Yakubu Dogara, when it became clear that he (Dogara) was not going to win. Out of the 157 that voted, 154 voted in favour of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos state as the party’s candidate for the Speakership race.
Dogara with his supporters staged a walkout rejecting the process adopted by the party.
There are flying reports that the Bauchi lawmaker is banking on the the PDP lawmakers as well as other Minority groups (i.e. Labour, APGA and Accord) in the House of Representatives to back him.
To this end, he is reportedly chosen Leo Ogor, the former house whip and a member of the PDP as his deputy. They are, thus, expected to run on a joint ticket.
In all, 61 APC lawmakers boycotted the election and did not vote while three voted for Dogara.There 121 PDP lawmakers and 10 lawmakers belong to Labour, APGA and Accord. Dogara is, thus, banking on the possible sum of 195 votes against Gbajabiamila’s 154 votes as a simple majority vote is all that is needed to become the Speaker
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