Congressman Femi Gbajabiamila of Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party on Tuesday emerged as the country’s new Speaker of the House of Representatives when the 9th National Assembly was inaugurated in the capital Abuja.
Gbajabiamila, 56, representing the southwestern state of Lagos, was the favored candidate of the Nigerian ruling party for the House leadership.
The former majority leader of the 8th National Assembly, which was dissolved Thursday, emerged through an election to lead the lower chamber of the Nigerian bi-cameral legislature.
The election was a fierce contest between Gbajabiamila and congressman Mohammed Bago, representing the north-central state of Niger at the lower chamber, also called the Green Chamber. Both candidates are of the same party.
The inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, comprising 109 Senators and 360 House of Representative members representing every state and region of the country, took place amid tight security.
