The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, yesterday named Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) as the majority leader of the 8th House, thereby ending weeks of bickering in the House over who occupies the office.

Besides Gbajabiamila (South West), a former minority leader of the House in the 6th and 7th National Assemblies, Dogara also announced the names of Hon. Buba Jibrin (North Central) as the deputy house leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa (North West) as the chief whip, and Hon. Pally Iriase (South South) as deputy chief whip.

The development is a fallout of a series of meetings with President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Monday night to the early hours of Tuesday.

Earlier at the resumed plenary of the House yesterday, proceedings could not start until about 11.41am when the Speaker was led into the chamber by the mace bearer in company of Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf and the chairman of the House ad-hoc committee on rules and business, Hon. Orker Jerve.
Dogara said the traditional opening prayer and was greeted with a resounding “amen” from members, a development that earlier pointed to possible drama ahead as a large number of spectators thronged the House gallery as early as 10am to witness the proceedings.

After a few minutes, a new member of the House, Hon. Linda Ikpeazu from Anambra State, was sworn in by the Clerk, Mohammed Sank Omolori, after the court sacked the former occupant few weeks ago.

At 11:55am, anxious spectators became disappointed as Dogara settled down for the day’s business without a mention of the much-awaited outcome of the meeting on the House leadership crisis.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/07/reps-rift-ends-as-gbajabiamila-emerges-house-leader/