Political parties in Lagos State are waiting for the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the date for the conduct of the Surulere Federal Constituency 1 bye-election.

Former Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila and member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who represented the constituency was re-elected for the 6th term in the 2023 general elections, but tendered his resignation letter on Wednesday, June 14, following his appointment and resumption of work as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.

Gbajabiamila was announced as the Chief of Staff to the President earlier this month in a statement issued by the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye.

In a letter addressed to the newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas at the plenary, Gbajabiamila said that he was resigning to officially resume duty in his new office.

Gbajabiamila, who attended the plenary and moved a motion under personal explanation to submit his letter of resignation, remarked that serving in the House has been a great honour.

The Speaker, Abbas, after reading the letter swiftly declared vacant the seat of Surulere 1 federal constituency of Lagos State, hitherto occupied by Gbajabiamila for about 20 years.

“On the account of the letter, we have declared the seat of Surulere 1 vacant as from today,” Abbas said.

“Having spent the last 20 years in the Nigerian Parliament, and after winning my 6th term election into the National Assembly, I shall work with Mr. President in discharging the enormous task ahead of him for the peace and progress of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I shall give my best when I take office on June 14, 2023, as reflected in Mr. President’s official letter,” Gbajabiamila said. Gbajabiamila’s resignation is in line with the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. Chapter 8. Part 2. Section 306 (1) of the Constitution states:

“Save as otherwise provided in this section, any person who is appointed, elected or otherwise selected to any office established by this Constitution may resign from that office by writing under his hand addressed to the authority or person by whom he was appointed, elected or selected.”

Subsection 7 states: “The notice of resignation of a member of a legislative house shall be addressed to the President of the Senate or, as the case may require, to the Speaker of the legislative house in question.”

Following his resignation, INEC is expected to conduct a bye-election, which will be contested by all interested political parties. The Guardian, however, reports that while the parties await INEC’s directive, there is keen interest for the position as members of the APC and opposition parties, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) are jostling for the seat.

At least three members of APC have indicated interest to fly the party’s ticket in the bye-election that will produce the replacement. They are former acting Chairman of Surulere Local Government, Agboola Dabiri; two-term former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Kabir Lawal popularly called Caesar; and the current chairman of the APC in Surulere Local Government Area, Fuad Laguda.

It was learnt that a mock primary conducted among apex leaders of the party in Surulere threw up Laguda. One of the leaders who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity confirmed that while Dabiri is already in Abuja, Lawal had agreed to step down to pave the way for the emergence of Laguda.

“We did the mock primary and Laguda was unanimously nominated as candidate to represent the party. We decided on Laguda because he has the experience as a seasoned politician and also an accomplished public servant,” he said. But reacting, the spokesperson of APC in Lagos, Seye Oladejo said nothing has been decided yet and the party does not practice anointed candidate method.

“It’s natural for people to show interest and fulfill their ambition once opportunities come up. The office left by the former speaker is a big office and whoever is coming there will have a big shoe to fill. We are on the look out for the right candidate who can win the election and meet up with the kind of performance that has made Gbajabiamila a household name that the party and the constituency are proud of.

Oladejo stated that the party will still follow due process in selecting a candidate through the primary and assured that the candidate would be someone committed to the ideals of progressive politics. He explained that it would be the members of the party in the constituency that would decide who gets the ticket among those jostling for it.

“The party will ensure that the person that will emerge has electoral value and the morale to win the election. Gbajabiamila has left an indelible mark in that constituency, his works has made him a household name and there is a need to carry on with the good works he has started.

“Every politics is local. It is the constituency that will determine who gets the ticket.” When asked if the party would consider a woman for the position, Oladejo said, “Our party is fair to all gender and age groups. Everyone will be given a chance.” Oladejo said the party would announce the process for nomination of candidates when INEC fixes a date for the bye-election.

Also, Women Supporting Women For Greater Heights, a socio-political group, recently said it had nominated Hon. Jamila Mu’azu-Olukosi for the party’s ticket.

The group appealed to APC to consider a female representative to ensure inclusiveness.

“This is coming on the heels of a purported publication by some faceless individuals claiming that one Hon. Fuad Laguda, currently the APC Chairman for Surulere Local Government Area, has been unanimously anointed to replace the former speaker.

“Mu’azu-Olukosi has contested four times, paid for the nomination forms, mobilised people massively, but was told to step down and she did because of her belief in the party’s supremacy.

“Reports indicated that Muazu-Onikosi, asides being a dedicated card carrying member of APC Lagos state, has empowered many people in her constituency.

“Now that there is an opening, they should consider her interest and unwavering support for the party,” the president of the group, Bolanle Oyeyemi, had said in a statement.

Speaking with The Guardian, PDP publicity secretary, Hakeem Amode stated that the party is waiting for INEC’s announcement to update them on the date for the bye-election.

“The PDP will contest the election, follow the directive of the national executive. In PDP, the national exco will write the INEC at the national level, letting them know, after they have pronounced the date at which they want to do the election, the date at which our primary will hold.

“The party will pick who will represent the people well during the party primary. We will pick the best among our members who will represent the people and do something different. We will field a candidate that is respected, democratic and understands what is going on in that constituency.

“A candidate who will offer alternatives to what one person has been doing for over 20 years. We will feature somebody who has the capacity, intelligence and education, who understands the sufferings of the people.

“The PDP will not do anything outside the electoral law as amended. We will follow the Constitution of the country in fielding somebody who will do something different and understands what is going on in Nigeria at this time.

“Whoever is interested will come up, they will buy the letter of intent, and will take it to the state secretariat that they are interested in running for the office.” On her part, the publicity secretary of LP, Bunmi Odesanya said the party would field candidates for the constituency.

“We will encourage as many aspirants as show interest. If there are two or more aspirants, we will conduct primaries.

“LP will make a marked difference in representing the Surulere constituency. The achievement of Gbajabiamila in Surulere is lopsided. It is not cosmopolitan enough. He is known to favour and empower APC party loyalists. The former Reps member did this widely to buy the conscience of the vulnerable masses and not with the intention to serve.

“The Labour Party believes in the youths as the future of the country. LP will empower the youths indeed in the constituency, which cut across party lines irrespective of affiliation. Everyone will feel the positive impact of the LP candidate when he or she emerges. LP will deliver a candidate that will win the election. Odesanya, however, stated that the party is waiting for INEC directives on the conduct of the bye-election.

“We had a candidate in the last election, but if other people show interest, all the modalities will be considered. We had candidates that we fielded but if other people come up, we will conduct a credible and fair primary that is open to all.”

When contacted by The Guardian, the Lagos INEC’s HOD Voter Education and Publicity, Tadese Adenike, said the state INEC is awaiting the directive from the commission’s headquarters in Abuja to give them the directive.

“Sorry, I will not be able to speak on that because it’s the national headquarters of the commission in Abuja that will also direct us at the state level and up till now we have not received any correspondent to that effect. I don’t have anything concrete to tell you about it. We are still awaiting the directive of the headquarters and we haven’t.”