Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila is reportedly interested in assuming the Chief of Staff Position in Bola Tinubu, the president-elect’s cabinet.
This report came to life after Gbajabiamila conspicuously missed last week Wednesday’s presentation of Certificates of Return to Members-elect of the House of Representatives, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The House Speaker was reelected to represent Surulere 1 federal constituency of Lagos State for the 6th consecutive time at the just-concluded February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The speaker polled 19,717 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Bosun Jeje of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 5,121 votes.
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However, it was gathered that Gbajabiamila may eventually not represent his constituency in the 10th National Assembly as he is likely to be considered for the position of Chief of Staff (CoS) to Tinubu, in the incoming government.
Also, an inside source (name withheld) insisted that the Speaker; one of Tinubu’s core loyalists and proteges, and an elder in politics who had worked with politicians from every federal constituency in Nigeria in the last 20 years, was likely to be given his admired position.
The source said:
“That is what we are hearing. If you notice, he didn’t come for his certificate of return on Wednesday. The truth is that he doesn’t need that certificate, he has everything to function optimally as Chief of Staff to the President in the new government. He has worked with politicians in every federal constituency and across political divides in the last 20 years.”
Speaking on the matter, the Special Adviser to Speaker Gbajabiamila on media and publicity, Mr Lanre Lasisi claimed his principal was unable to attend the presentation of certificates of return ceremony.
He, however, declined further comment on the matter.
He said:
“He was just not able to be in Abuja for the ceremony.”
