The race to replace the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila gets more interesting as another aspirant has indicated interest in taking over the seat vacated by the former Reps Speaker reports thegazellenews.com
Recalled that Gbajabiamila won the election into the House of Representatives on Saturday, 25 February, 2023 to represent Surulere Federal Constituency 1 for the sixth term.
However after being appointed the Chief of Staff by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gbajabiamila had to resign his membership of the House paving the way for a bye-election to replace him.
This has engendered struggle within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as aspirants have indicated their interest in picking the party’s ticket to contest the bye-election.
The Gbajabiamila group, the most powerful political structure in Surulere has endorsed Fuad Laguda, immediate past Chairman of the party in the local government.
In fact, the Chief of Staff presented Fuad to the President few days ago.
However the race took a new twist with the entrance into the race of Abdur Raheem Owokoniran to challenge Fuad Laguda for the party’s ticket.
Prior to that, a former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Kabir Lawal also indicated his interest to contest the ticket with Fuad Laguda.
The new entrant into the race, Abdur Raheem Owokoniran is a former aide of the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Owokoniran was the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure between 2019 and 2023.
He was also a former Personal Assistant of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, OON.
The race to pick the party’s ticket gets more interesting with the leadership of the party in the state assuring all aspirants of a level playing ground for the expected primary election.
