Media reports linking Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila with a defendant in a N31million fraud case at a court in Lagos State, has been debunked as false.
One Sulaimon Gbajabiamila was arraigned before the Yaba Magistrate Court 1 for allegedly defrauding a United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Lateef Adeyemo, of the sum of N31million.
He allegedly presented himself as an estate agent in 2021, collected and converted N31m – N30m for the property, N1m for agent fee – meant for the purchase of a two-bedroom flat for Adeyemo between September and October 2021 for personal use.
But the Media Office of Speaker Gbajabiamila has dissociated the lawmaker from Suleimon Gbajabiamila.
The Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, made the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday titled ‘Gbajabiamila Name Semblance Doesn’t Translate to Family, Says Reps Speaker…Advises the Public to be Wary of Name-Dropping and Misrepresentation.’
The statement read, “It has come to the attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, that one Suleimon who is standing trial in a court of law in Lagos State is erroneously described as a brother to the Speaker.
“Speaker Gbajabiamila wishes to state that he has no relationship whatsoever with the said Suleimon and the Gbajabiamila name semblance does not and should not translate to being a family member.
“The Gbajabiamila family is a big one with many branches like many other families do have. Therefore, it is not everyone that bears the surname Gbajabiamila that is related to Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
“The general public is, hereby, notified that the said Suleimon is not a brother to Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila as erroneously reported by some sections of the media. Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila advises members of the public not to fall for persons thriving on name-dropping and misrepresentation.
“This press statement is to also urge the media to desist from linking the said Suleimon to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila.”
