House of reps election in progress

The election of speaker and deputy speaker of the federal house of representatives has just officially begun.

Earlier at the senate, the All Progressives Congress (APC) failed in its bid to install Ahmed Lawan as president of the upper chamber and George Akume as his deputy.

Instead, it was Bukola Saraki, Lawan’s intra-party opponent, who emerged speaker, while Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged his deputy.

Salisu Abubakar, clerk of the national assembly, declared open the procedure for the election of principal officers of the house by reading a proclamation for the holding of the first session of the national assembly issued by President Muhammadu Buhari.