Gbajabiamila emerges house majority leader

Femi Gbajabiamilia – the lawmaker who was favourite of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to become speaker of the federal house of representatives but lost to Yakubu Dogara – has emerged the majority leader of the lower chamber.

Yakubu Dogara, the speaker‎, made the announcement on the floor of the green chamber on Tuesday.

He also announced Buba Jibrin as the deputy house leader, Alhassan Doguwa as the chief whip, and Pally Iriase deputy chief whip.

Also, for the minority principal positions, Chukwuma Onyema is the minority house leader; Leo Ogor, deputy minority house leader‎; Umar Barde; minority whip, and Binta Bello; deputy minority whip.

‎The lower chamber had been rocked by crisis over the sharing of principal positions since June 9 when the presiding officers were elected.

While the APC leadership ‎leadership had preferred Gbajabiamila, who is from the southwest, for house leader, Dogara’s group wanted the position to go to the northwest.

The party had intervened at different times, even through its governors, but the impasse seemed unbreakable.

Last Saturday, Dogara’s loyalists led by Abdulmumin Jibrin, announced that a peace deal had been reached with Gbajabiamila’s group. But Gbajabiamila’s group later denied reaching any accord with the other side.

On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari waded into to the crisis by summoning the lawmakers‎, but the meeting ended in deadlock.

After Gbajabiamila’s emergence and the announcement of other principal officers, the house adjourned to Wednesday.