House of Reps: Laguda, Gbajabiamila’s Successor Wins Surulere Constituency 1 Bye-Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Fuad Laguda, winner of the Surulere Federal Constituency 1 by-election in Lagos State.

Recall that the winner had in the build up to the election said he would succeed Femi Gbajabiamila, who after winning in the 2023 general election, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu as his Chief of Staff.

Declaring the winner at the INEC Office at 9:04pm, the Returning Officer for the Surulere Federal Constituency 1 by-election, Prof. Adebayo Oladipo of the University of Lagos, said Laguda polled 11,203 votes to defeat other candidates.

According to Oladipo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jerry Afemighie, came a distant second with 278 votes, while the candidate of the Labour Party, Adeola Adebanjo, polled 240 votes to come a distant third.

He said African Democratic Congress scored 40 votes, All Progressives Grand Alliance polled six votes, Allied People’s Movement seven votes and Action People’s Party got four votes.

Oladipo added that the Social Democratic Party scored two votes, Young Progressives Party nine votes, Zenith Labour Party four votes and New Nigeria People’s Party got eight votes.

The Returning Officer said the total number of registered voters in the constituency was 140,377, while the total number of accredited voters was 11,943.

According to him, the total valid vote cast is 11,801, total rejected vote is 138, while the total votes is 11,939.

Oladipo declared: “I, Prof. Simeon Adebayo Oladipo, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2024 Surulere 1 Federal Constituency by-election held on the third Day of February, 2024.

“The election was contested.

“That Laguda Kayode Fuad of APC having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected.”

Agents of various political parties that contested in the election signed the election results one after the other.

The declaration was carried out under heavy security presence.

Twelve candidates of different political parties scrambled for 121,111 votes of registered voters with Permanent Voter Cards in the election.