Femi Gbajabiamila, representing Surulere Federal Constituency of Lagos, was Tuesday announced as Majority leader of House of Representatives.
Speaker Yakubu Dogara announced what he referred to as “the big one” on the floor of the House at about 3:19pm.
Gbajabiamila’s emergence followed the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari who met with warring All Progressives Congress (APC) factions in the House on Monday.
The position of Deputy Leader went to Mr. Buba Jibrin (North-Central), while Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (North-West) was named the Chief Whip and Mr. Pally Iriase (South-South) is Deputy Whip.
Yusuf Lasun, elected Deputy Speaker on June 9, hails from the South West just like Gbajabiamila.
The South East emerges the loser as it was excluded in the sharing of principal officers position in the ruling APC.
A leadership tussle which began with the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly on June 9 had prevented the lawmakers from settling down to work.
Gbajabiamila, Minority House Leader in the 7th National Assembly, was pushed for the speakership slot, but narrowly lost to Yakubu Dogara.
Dogara’s rejection of APC’s demand that Gbajabiamila be given the Majority Leader position split the house into two factions, each insisting on its term for resolving the conflict.
There were fears that Buhari’s intervention had failed after some members came out of Monday’s meeting singing discordant tunes.
Tuesday’s announcement seems to put an end to the leadership crisis in the House.
A fourth term rep, Gbajabiamila was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2003.
