The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos), has officially joined the race for the office of the Speaker of the 9th Assembly.
Gbajabiamila, in company of 170 members-elect, made his intention known on Sunday in Abuja.
It was the second term he would vie for the top seat in the lower chamber. He lost by eight votes to incumbent Yakubu Dogara in 2015.
The fifth-term Reps member said he is in the race to unite the nation and to bring good governance closer to the people.
If elected speaker, Gbajabiamila said that he would galvanise the lawmakers to make life more abundant for all Nigerians.
He said there was much work to be done by way of legislation in the area of education, health, power, infrastructure and alleviation of poverty.
Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kano), the Femi Gbajabiamila Campaign Director General, said that Gbajabiamila is the best candidate for the office.
According to him, the candidacy of Gbajabiamila was about democracy and bringing civility and global best practices into the legislature.
Jibrin said Gbajabiamila stands out as the best candidate describing him as a bridge builder and a man with experience and legislative knowledge.
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He promised to respect other contestants, run issue-based campaigns and urged all members to join the project.
Also, Rep. Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno), said that all party members should respect and protect party supremacy.
Monguno, who read the citation of the candidate, said that it was normal for the minority leader to become majority leader when his party becomes majority.
Gbajabiamila was born 25 June, 1962. After primary education , he went to Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos in 1973 for his secondary education and graduated around 1978.
He enrolled at the King Williams College, Isle of Man, United Kingdom for his ‘A Levels’ where he graduated at the top of his class around 1980.
Upon his return to Nigeria, the young Olufemi was accepted into the University of Lagos, Nigeria for a three-year LLB (Bachelor of Law) degree programme.
He graduated with honours in 1983 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law school, where he was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984.
After attending the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta Georgia and passing the Georgia bar exams in 2001, he practised law in the US for some years, before returning home to take part in politics.
He was first elected in 2003 and was re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2015 and this year.
