How Gbajabiamila Trounced Bago To Emerge Speaker, House Of Reps
March 30th 2019 saw Gbajabiamila declaring officially his intention to run for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Since then, it has been about three months of interesting turn of events seeing likely opponents stepping down, court cases dusted up against the the speaker hopeful.
The law-maker has won re-election four times as he was re-elected into the house in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.
At his declaration, one-hundred and seventy members-elect of the House of Representatives including four speakership aspirants were in attendance Femi Gbajabiamila who was then, the incumbent Majority Leader, officially declared his ambition to run for the speakership of the 9th National Assembly on Sunday.
Femi Gbajabiamila is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party then said it will ‘teach’ the All Progressives Congress the rudiments of democracy during the election of principal officers of the 9th National Assembly. But that appears to have turned out be just a threat with no strength whatsoever.
Gbajabiamila crisscrossed the entire nation, visiting several governors like Rochas Okorocha, Ganduje and a host of others.
Today, Tuesday 11th June will, however, go down in history as the day, he was elected after an elective session that lasted hours on the floor of the House.
Hon Nkiru steps down from Speakership race, pledged to tow party line and calls on other aspirant to do same by queuing behind Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase.
He defeated his sole rival Umar Bago to emerge the new Speaker of the House of Representatives with a total of 281 votes against 76 votes to emerge Speaker.
Nigerians will, therefore, hold him to his words, for the records, while he was out to win the votes of his colleagues, he made known his reasons for aspiring for the exalted position.
Gbajabiamila declared his intention to contest for the position of the speaker of the house on Sunday, March 31, 2019, in Abuja.
While addressing an audience of lawmakers, journalists, and well-wishers at the event, the lawmaker said he wished to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives in order to bring government closer to the people.
Gbajabiamila representing Surulere federal constituency said he would work to serve the people if elected as the speaker of the house.
He said: “I seek the office of the Speaker to bring our tendencies together and unite us as a country. I seek the office of the Speaker to bring governance even closer to the people. I seek the office of the Speaker to mentor the next generation. I seek the office of the Speaker so I can use the bully pulpit to galvanise Honourable members to make life more abundant for every Nigerian irrespective of tribe, religious background or political persuasion.
”There is so much work to be done by way of legislation in many areas of our life including but not limited to education, health, power, infrastructure and alleviation of poverty. I believe many of these deficits can be addressed through meaningful and impactful legislation.
“Historically the House of Representatives was established to be the people’s House and for the people‘s business. It follows therefore that the Speaker must be the people’s Speaker elected to do the people‘s business and champion their cause and in doing so fulfilling their hopes and aspiration. This is the Speaker I intend and hope to be and the House I intend and hope to lead (as) a People‘s House.”
The lawmaker, who has been a House of Representatives member since 2003 boasted of his long years of experience in the House as an advantage over other lawmakers eyeing the position.
SOURCE: dailyadvent.com
