Dogara Yakubu Emerges Reps Speaker [UPDATED]

Femi-Gbajabiamila-Yakubu-DogaraAs expected, an election is underway to choose a Speaker for the 8th House of Representatives.

The election is between the member-elect representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Femi Gbajabiamila, and member-elect representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, Dogara Yakubu.

Hon. Gbajabiamila, who was Minority Leader in the 7th House, is the All Progressives Congress, APC, consensus candidate for the position of Speaker while his main challenger, Hon. Yakubu, is banking on a handful of supporters from his party, the APC, as well as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which has directed all its members to vote for him.

The motion for Yakubu’s nomination was moved by Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin and seconded by Hon. Chike John Okafor while the motion for Gbajabiamila’s was moved by Hon. Muhammad Sani Abdu and seconded by Hon. Philip Shuaibu.

According to the Clerk to the House of Representatives, Sani Omolori Ataba, 358 Reps members-elect were confirmed present during the roll call while one Reps member-elect was absent as a result of illness.

Details later….

***UPDATE***

After painstaking counting of ballots, the member-elect representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, Dogara Yakubu has been elected Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives.

He garnered 182 votes to defeat his closest rival, Hon. Gbajabiamila, who scored 174 votes. Two votes were declared invalid.