Yusuf Lasun beats APC-anointed Monguno to house deputy speakership

Yusuf Sulaiman Lasun, a returning lawmaker representing Irepodun/Olorunda/Orolu/Osogbo federal constituency of Osun state, has been elected deputy speaker of the federal house of representatives.

Mohammed Tahir Monguno from Borno state had been chosen at the weekend’s mock election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as sole candidate for the post of deputy speaker of the lower chamber and Femi Gbajabiamila as sole candidate for the post of speaker.

But Monguno could not repeat his intra-party feat at the national assembly election proper, as he polled 153 votes while Lasun polled 203 votes.

Ahmed Lawan and George Akume, the two other ‘sole candidates’ to emerge from the APC election, also lost out on the day, seeing their prospective positions of senate president and deputy senate president go to Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, both of whom were backed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lasun, the newly-elected deputy speaker who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Ibadan, was chairman of Osun State Capital Territory Development Authority.

He was first elected to the house of reps in 2011.