At first plenary, Speaker Abbas declares lawmaker's seat vacant

Gbajabiamila bows out of parliament after six terms to resume as Chief of Staff (COS) to President Tinubu. Election management body expected to conduct bye-election within 90 days

Lagos

Barely hours into the maiden plenary session of the Tenth House of Representatives, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, on Wednesday, declared the seat of the lawmaker representing Surulere Federal Constituency 1, Femi Gbajabiamila in the Green Chamber vacant.

The action which followed the Speaker’s receipt of the occupant’s resignation letter, which he read to the lawmaker during plenary, is in line with Section 68 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended).

Sworn in for a sixth term on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila who is the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday tendered his resignation letter as a Member of the Chamber to enable him to resume duty as the new Chief of Staff (COS) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas thereafter read the letter to lawmakers during plenary, after which he was escorted out of the Green Chamber by the newly elected Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and a coterie of lawmakers to a waiting vehicle outside the building.

Submitting the letter, the Lagos lawmaker said: “It is with mixed feelings that I want to, at this time, at this moment and at this hour and this minute present to this House, my letter of resignation from this House.”

“I write to tender my resignation as a member of the 10th House of Representatives. As you are aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked that I come and join him as Chief of Staff,” the letter read in part.

Some of the lawmakers who escorted the former Speaker out of the Chamber are; Rep. Nnolim Nnaji, Rep. Raji Wale, Rep. Akande-Sadipe who were chairpersons of the House Committees on Aviation, House Services, Diaspora Affairs respectively in the Ninth House of Representatives. Others are Rep. Boma Goodhead, Nnana Igbokwe, etc

President Bola Tinubu had on Friday, June 2 announced the appointment of Gbajabiamila as his Chief of Staff during a meeting with Progressives Governors Forum (PGF); the umbrella body of state governors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC).