Femi Gbajabiamila, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, has been chosen to take on the role of Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that this decision effectively removes him from the upcoming 10th National Assembly.
Gbajabiamila, who secured a 6th term as the representative of Surulere Federal Constituency in Lagos State, made the announcement through his Chief of Staff, Olanrewaju Smart Wasiu, on his official Facebook page on Thursday morning.
The statement read, “After extensive deliberations and consultations, President Bola Tinubu has made his first appointment, selecting the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as the President’s Chief of Staff.”
According to the statement, the President’s decision to appoint Gbajabiamila came after thoroughly evaluating various potential candidates among his loyalists.
This move signifies a significant departure for Gbajabiamila, who is yet to receive his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as he will now forego his sixth term in the House of Representatives to join the executive branch of government.
Sources mentioned in the statement revealed that the President’s choice of Gbajabiamila over James Faleke, the representative of Ikeja Federal Constituency and an effective campaigner for Tinubu, was motivated by the desire to have someone who could assist in persuading lawmakers in the National Assembly to support his proposed policies.
UPDATE
The development has been confirmed by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who just took to twitter to congratulate him
Congratulations to my friend and brother of over 40 years, the Hon. Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on a well-deserved appointment as Chief of Staff to our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. (@officialABAT)
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) June 1, 2023
This appointment proves to the… pic.twitter.com/wJkV2SmHDv
