By Bilesanmi Abayomi
The chances of Kosofe producing the next Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly are high, as the lawmaker representing Kosofe 1, Sanni Ganiu Babatunde, and his counterpart, Kosofe 2, Femi Saheed, if elected, will be returning as ranking members.
The duo of Okanlawon, Saheed from Kosofe, and Hon. Tobun Mustain Abiodun, a Lagos lawmaker representing Epe Constituency 1 at the Lagos House of Assembly, will be among the three ranking lawmakers from the East Senatorial District, while the remaining seven lawmakers that make up the state constituencies in the district will be first-termers.
Meanwhile, Tobun, who is currently serving his third term as a lawmaker representing his people, if elected in next year’s election, will be the most senior lawmaker from Lagos East as a fourth-termer compared to the two Kosofe lawmakers.
However, the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, who is the number two man in the state and also hails from the same Epe Local Government Area as Tobun, has foreclosed his chances of becoming DS.
According to keen political watchers, the Deputy Speaker cannot be zoned to Deputy Governor Local Council in the same senatorial district that comprises other LGAs such as Kosofe, Shomolu, Ikorodu, and Ibeju Lekki. If one or two of the Kosofe constituencies’ lawmakers are re-elected, there’s a high tendency for Kosofe to produce the next deputy speaker.