Former lawmaker Dapo Lam-Adesina has recounted the political drama that surrounded the 2015 speakership race in the House of Representatives, alleging that internal betrayal within the All Progressives Congress (APC) led to the defeat of Femi Gbajabiamila.

Lam-Adesina made the remarks during an interview with Edmund Obilo, where he reflected on what he described as one of the most disappointing moments of his legislative career. 


“I supported Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila to become Speaker in 2015 and I wouldn't hide it. But we lost. It was a very terrible day,” he said. 

“In fact, the late Alaafin of Oyo, Baba Lamidi Adeyemi, came that day because he was supporting Femi Gbajabiamila. People in APC betrayed us. Some people in Oyo State betrayed us.”

The 2015 leadership contest in the House of Representatives was one of the most fiercely contested internal battles within the APC following its emergence as the ruling party. 

Despite strong backing from key political figures, Gbajabiamila ultimately lost the race to Yakubu Dogara, a development that exposed deep divisions within the party’s ranks at the time.

According to Lam-Adesina, the outcome was not merely a result of opposition strength but was significantly influenced by what he described as betrayal from within the party itself. 

He alleged that some lawmakers who had initially pledged support to Gbajabiamila shifted allegiance at critical moments, weakening his candidacy.

The former lawmaker stressed that the experience left a lasting impression on him, both politically and personally. 

He said his support for Gbajabiamila was rooted in conviction rather than convenience, and he maintained that loyalty throughout the process despite mounting political pressure.

Lam-Adesina noted that many of his colleagues eventually defected to Dogara’s camp in search of political advantage, but he chose not to follow suit. 

He emphasized that his political upbringing and personal principles did not allow him to abandon a candidate he had publicly committed to support.

“I was raised with principles that would not allow me to abandon a man I had committed to support,” he explained.

He further revealed that his loyalty came with personal consequences. As a demonstration of his unwavering stance, Lam-Adesina said he deliberately distanced himself from the leadership that emerged after the election.

“As a demonstration of that conviction, I never once set foot in the Speaker’s office throughout my entire four years in the House,” he disclosed.