Although there is no law stipulating the number of years a lawmaker is expected to spend as a member of the national assembly, not a few have abused this privilege and have chosen to remain ‘landlords,’ as long as members of their constituents keep voting (legitimately or otherwise) for their return. Some have argued that the absence of a constitutional provision of term limit for lawmakers is because the legislature is a peculiar institution, thus making long-serving lawmakers, valuable assets to the legislature by providing stability and a pool for recruiting leadership. While some have spent time ranging between 10 to 15 years, others have crossed the rubicon of a decent time to step aside. These set of people have spent up to 20 years.
While the likes of Senator David Mark, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, the current senate president, are considered veterans in this regard, with Mark further distinguishing himself with the title of the longest serving Senate President, for eight years, others like Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is already getting set to replicate Mark and Lawan’s feat with his re-election. By May 29, he will begin his sixth term in the House.
Gbajabiamila won his first election into the House in 2003 to represent Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State at the age of 40. He first served as House Minority Whip from 2007, and later became Minority Leader, a position he held up to 2015. In 2019, he became the Speaker. It remains to be seen if his colleagues will re-elect him again as speaker later this year. While Mark did not seek reelection, Lawan is returning having used the court to displace the rightful candidate, Bashir Sheriff Machina for a seventh term, to represent Yobe North Senatorial Constituency.
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