THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has claimed that he is likely the longest-serving legislator of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber.
Gbajabiamila made this claim amid the verbal altercation that ensued between him and his deputy, Idris Wase on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, during a plenary session.
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“Mr Deputy Speaker, this is the first time in history. I have been in this house for many years, perhaps even longer than anybody here. This is the first time in history that a deputy speaker will be challenging what the speaker is saying,” Gbajabiamila said.
CLAIM
Gbajabiamila is perhaps the longest-serving legislator in the House of Representatives.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
Checks show that prior to Gbajabiamila’s election in 2003, Hon. Nicholas Mutu, representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency in Delta State, has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1999.
Gbajabiamila, who is currently serving his fifth term, holds the position of Speaker in the House of Representatives in the 9th National Assembly and has been a member of the House representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in Lagos State since 2003.
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During the 7th National Assembly, Gbajabiamila served as the Minority Leader before becoming the Majority Leader in the 8th Assembly.
THE VERDICT
The claim by Gbajabiamila that he’s perhaps the longest-serving legislator in the House of Representatives is MISLEADING; findings show that Nicholas Mutu is the longest-serving member of Nigeria’s lower legislative chamber.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
