Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria

The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Federal House of Representatives of Nigeria. Yakubu Dogara, the current speaker, was elected on June 9, 2015.

History

Sir Frederic Metcalfe of Great Britain became Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria in 1955. He was replaced by the first indigenous speaker, Jaja Wachuku, in 1959. As Speaker of the House, Wachuku received Nigeria's Instrument of Independence, also known as Freedom Charter, on October 1, 1960, from Princess Alexandra of Kent (Alexandra was Elizabeth II's representative at the Nigerian Independence ceremonies). Chaha Biam hails from Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. He was elected to the House of Representative on the platform of NPN in the 1983 general elections and was elected as the Speaker of House of Representative in the short lived second tenure of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, October 1, 1983 - December 31, 1983.

Selection and succession to presidency

The speaker is chosen in an indirect election conducted within the House of Representatives. The Speaker is third in line for succession to the Nigerian presidency, after the President of the Senate and Vice President.

List of Speakers

Name	Term	Party
Sir Frederic Metcalfe	1955-1959
Jaja Wachuku	1959–1960	NCNC
Ibrahim Jalo Waziri	1960–1966
Edwin Ume-Ezeoke	1979–1983	NPN
Chaha Biam	1983	NPN
Salisu Buhari	1999–2000	PDP
Ghali Umar Na'Abba	2000–2003	PDP
Aminu Bello Masari	2003–2007	PDP
Patricia Etteh	2007	PDP
Dimeji Bankole	2007–2011	PDP
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal	2011 - 2015	APC
Yakubu Dogara	2015 (Incumbent)	APC

References

• Official website of the House of Representatives
• Assemblyonline, news agency on Nigeria's National Assembly