Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila of the House of Representatives has secured his sixth consecutive term in office after winning the Surulere 1 federal constituency election.
The victory was announced on Saturday, with Gbajabiamila garnering 19,717 votes to defeat his main rival, Bosun Jeje of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 5,121 votes.
Gbajabiamila, who has spent two decades in the lower chamber of the National Assembly, expressed his appreciation to the people of Surulere for their unwavering support.
In his words, “I am immensely grateful to the people of Surulere for their overwhelming support. I do not take your support for granted. As your representative for the past 20 years, I have always protected your interest. I am proud of you as my constituents.”
The speaker also thanked his supporters, party leaders, and members, community development associations (CDAs), and residents for their massive support throughout the election.
Gbajabiamila noted that the victory was not just his but a victory for democracy, and he promised to do more for the people of Surulere.
“This victory is not mine alone. It is a victory for democracy. Surulere has made history by this sixth mandate given to me, which would definitely spur me to do more for you,” he said.
Gbajabiamila, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003, had previously won five straight elections before his recent victory.
He has also served in various leadership capacities in the house, including minority whip, minority leader, opposition leader, and majority leader before getting elected as the speaker in 2019.
