3 Out Of 10 Principal Officers Will Sit At 10th House

By Linda Ike

The 2023 National Assembly election has witnessed tsunami as seven out of ten House of Representatives Principal Officers won’t participate in the 10th House of Assembly.

The February 25, polls recorded changes in all the political parties, making many Lawmakers who were in the 9th Assembly to lose their seats.

It also affected the Presiding and Principal Officers in both the Green and red chambers.

These are the 9th house Assembly Principal and Presiding Officers, Femi Gbajabiamila is the Speaker of the house,(Lagos), Idris Wase, Deputy Speaker, (Plateau), Alhasan Ado Doguwa, Majority Leader (Kano), Peter Akpatason, Deputy Majority Leader,(Edo) Mohammed Monguno, Majority Chief Whip (Borno), Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Deputy Majority Whip, (Abia)
Ndudi Elumelu, Minority Leader, (Delta), Toby Okechukwu, Deputy Minority Leader, (Enugu), Gideon Lucas Gwani, Minority Whip, (Kaduna), and Adesegun Adekoya, Deputy Minority Whip (Ogun)

Out of these Principal Officers, only three will sit in the 10th house of representatives.

Speaker – Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos)
Femi Gbajabiamila has been re-elected for the 6th term as the lawmaker representing Surulere Federal Constituency 1, his 20-year in the Green Chamber has helped him acquire more experience as he has served as Minority Whip, Minority Leader and Majority Leader before he was elected as Speaker in 2019.

Deputy Speaker – Idris Ahmed Wase (APC, Plateau)
Idriis Wase was re-elected for the 5th term to represent Wase Federal Constituency of Plateau state.He became the Deputy Speaker in 2019.

Deputy Majority Leader — Peter Akpatason (APC Edo)
representing Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency won his re-election bid to the house.

Principal Officers who won’t sit at the 10th House of Assembly come June 2023 include:

Chief Whip – Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno)

Monguno who represent Marte, Monguno and Nganzai Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives will be absent at the Green Chamber.

He won his election to cross over to the Senate to occupy the Borno North Senatorial seat in the Red Chamber come June 2023.
He replaces the Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who resigned from the Senate upon his election into the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Majority Leader – Alhassan Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano)
Representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State,

Doguwa was declared the winner of the 2023 polls but his name was removed in the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC final list published recently

INEC claimed that the declaration was made under duress.

The Majority Leader is currently in prison over a five-count charge, including culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, mischief by fire, and inciting public disturbance during the February 25 elections. He was remanded on Wednesday, March 1, following an order of the Kano Magistrate Court, after his arrest by the Kano State Police Command at the Airport.

Deputy Chief Whip – Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (APC, Abia)

Onyejeocha”s dream to come back to the Green Chamber suffered a blow as she lost the election to Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party (LP).

Onyejeocha who represents Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency was the only APC principal officer who lost her re-election bid to the
House of Representatives.

It was observed that all the Principal Officers of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who contested in the just concluded 2023 election
lost their bids.

This is a biggest blow to the minority caucus of the house as four of the lawmakers won’t have a seat in the 10th Assembly.

Minority Leader of the House – Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta)

Elumelu lost his 5th term bid to Ngozi Okolie of the Labour Party.(LP)

He was first elected to represent Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in 2007, and also emerged as the Leader of the Opposition Caucus in 2019.

Deputy Minority Leader – Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu)

Hon.. Toby Okechukwu, had earlier failed to get the ticket of his party to continue as representative of his Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency during the PDP National Assembly Primaries in May 2022.
He is serving out his third term in the Green Chamber following his election in 2011.

Minority Whip – Gideon Lucas Gwani (PDP, Kaduna)
Hon. Gwani lost his election bid to Donatus Mathew of the Labour Party (LP).
The Minority Whip represents Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State and has been in the House of Representatives since 2003.

Deputy Minority Whip – Adesegun Adekoya (PDP, Ogun)

Representing Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Gwani was first elected to represent his constituency in 2015.