House Leadership: Constituents Plan Heroic Welcome For Gbajabiamila In Lagos
The new leader of House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila would tomorrow Saturday be given an “heroic” welcome-back-home reception by his constituents in Surulere area of Lagos state.
Gbajabiamila, who is representing Surulere Federal Constituency 1 for the fourth consecutive time in the House, would be visiting his home state for the first time since after his announcement as the 8th Leader of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
It would be recall that Gbajabiamila was earlier pencilled down by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party’s choice for the position of Speaker having scored 154 votes ahead of the current Speaker Yakubu Dogara in a straw poll conducted by the party days before the inauguration of the House.
But in a turn of events on the day of speakership election conducted on the floor of the House on June 9, 2015, Gbajabiamila lost to Dogara by a marginal 8 votes.
A statement signed by the chairman of the reception planning committee, Hon. Agboola Dabiri, a copy of which was made available to newsmen yesterday, said the people of Lagos state are very glad of the gallantry strides of Gbajabiamila in the annals of Nigeria’s political history for not disapointing them.
“The expectations of Lagosians were high during the Speakership tussle because that would have been the first time Lagos would have produced a Speaker but despite the temporary setback, Femi Gbajabiamila at any point did not let us down, he exhibited maturity and respect for rule of law throughout the leadership crisis in the House.”
According to the statement containing the activities scheduled for the welcome-back ceremony, Gbajabiamila would be received at the airport by well-wishers enroute Ikorodu Road to Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere where the House Leader is expected to address his teeming supporters.
“On same day, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila would also commission the new secretariat of the APC in Surulere, Lagos.
“The event would also afford the people of Surulere to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, members of the House of Representatives and Nigerians for standing by their son throughout the leadership crisis that engulfed the House for 49days,” Dabiri added.