Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker, Nigeria’s House of Representatives, on Tuesday, dismissed the rumours that he plans to unseat Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2023.
He said he has not even given a thought to the idea of contesting for the governorship position of Lagos State in 2023.
Gbajabiamila stated this in an interview on Channels TV, monitored by BusinessDay, noting that he is presently preoccupied with the speakership position, which he described as one of the toughest in the world.
The speaker added that Governor Sanwo-Olu has been doing well in a very difficult situation since he assumed office in 2019 and deserved to be commended.
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He said: “No I have no such plan. I have no immediate plan (to contest). I have a job that I am doing now. It’s a very tough job. Sometimes the most difficult job in the world, but people don’t understand.
“So, I don’t want distractions. I am working as the speaker of the House of Representatives with lots of responsibilities on my shoulders right now. Any other thing would be a distraction. As for Lagos State governorship, I’ve not even thought about it. And why? The present governor is doing a good job.
“The fact that we have a one-term governor doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same thing forever. The governor is doing well under the circumstances in the last two years. And for me, why upset the apple cart?”
When asked whether he would give a thought to contesting in the near future, the speaker said the future should be allowed to take care of itself.
“We’ll see what the future portends for everybody. We can’t sit here today and predict tomorrow. The future is what it is”, he added.
The speaker further said he was optimistic that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has all its takes to win the 2023 election.
“I think the APC has all it takes and will still do well in the next election.”
Gbajabiamila has been in the lower chamber since 2003 representing Surulere I Constituency of Lagos State. He became speaker in 2019. He is said to be a loyalist of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the APC, who ensured he emerged as the speaker of the House in 2019 after missing it in 2015.
