Re – examining return bids of serving senators 

Three months ago before the party primaries, the number of Senators projected to return to the Senate has drastically dropped after many of them failed to secure tickets for their reelection bids. TAIYE ODEWALE reports.

Earlier analysis made 

In the last analysis made on the 30th of May, 2022 immediately after primaries of the major political parties, about 60 out of 109 senators, were reported to have failed in securing return tickets from their various political parties.

The failures as stated in the reports were hinged on  three different  reasons. (i) aspirations  for higher political offices by the affected serving Senators (ii) outright loss at party primaries and (iii) zoning arrangement in respective senatorial districts.

Those who fell into the first category of non – returning senators based on realities on ground in May during and after party primaries were the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who ran for presidential ticket of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in June but lost, his Deputy, Senator Ovie Omo – Agege who ran for Gubernatorial ticket of the same party in Delta State and won, Senator Uba Sani who did same in Kaduna state, at Senator Aisha Binani who also did same  in Adamawa state, likewise Senator Sandy Onor who falls into the same category in Cross River state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) etc.

Those in the category of outright loss at party primaries as analysed then, were Senators Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC Kwara Central), Smart Adeyemi (APC Kogi West), Ayo Akinyelure (PDP Ondo Central), Danjumah La’ah (PDP Kaduna South ), Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP Ondo South), Onyewuchi Ezenwa Francis (PDP Imo East) and  Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger North).

Others in the category of outright loss at party primaries then, were,  Senators Jika Haliru Dauda (APC Bauchi Central ), Bulkachuwa Adamu Muhammad (APC Bauchi North) Amos Bulus Kilawangs (APC Gombe South), Mandiya Bello (APC Katsina South), Gyang Istifanus Dung (PDP Plateau North) etc.

Those in the category of voluntary decision of non – returning due to zoning arrangements in their respective senatorial districts , were Senators Betty Apiafi (PDP Rivers West), Orker – Jev Emmanuel Yisa (PDP Benue North West ), Oseni Yakubu (APC Kogi Central), Oluremi Tinubu ( APC Lagos Central) etc.

Latest state by state analysis 

Analytically on the basis of state by state now, in the North West, only one one out of the  entire three Senators from Jigawa state, namely Hadejia Hassan Ibrahim, Sankara Danladi Abubakar and Mohammed Sabo Nakudu got return ticket. 

Nakudu who represents Jigawa South West, got his return ticket last week in a fresh primary election conducted by APC after the demise of Tijjani Ibrahim who won the primary election three months ago.

Nakudu had in the earlier primaries held, ran for the governorship ticket along with the two other serving senators but   lost to the current Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Namadi.

As it was in Jigawa, so it is in Katsina state where none of the three serving Senators namely, Ahmed Baba Kaita, Bello Mandiya and Abdullahi Barkiya Kabir secured returned ticket from their party (APC).

For Kaita, the quest for governorship position of the state, made him to quit the party few months ago to PDP while Mandiya and Barkiya lost out in the Senatorial primary elections conducted by the party last Saturday.

In Zamfara state within the same North West geo – political zone , out of the three Senators who came into the 9th Senate in June 2019, only one has secured return ticket for contest in the 2023 general election for possible return into the coming 10th Senate .

While Senator Sabi Ya’u (Zamfara North) succeeded in getting return ticket, Senator Lawali Hassan Anka ( Zamfara West ) sacrificed his own for former governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari who is being pacified by the state governor, Bello Mattawale along with Senator Kabiru Marafa settled with Zamfara Central senatorial ticket, a seat occupied by Senator Mohammed Hassan before resigning for Deputy Governorship position of the State few months back.

In Kebbi state, only Senator Bala Ibn Na ‘Allah (Kebbi South) got a return ticket out of the three serving Senators from the state on the platform of APC which made the other two, i.e, the forner Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi  North ) and Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) defected to PDP for senatorial tickets.

In Kaduna state, only Senator Suleiman Abdul – Kwari (Kaduna North) secured return ticket from his party (APC), as Senator Uba Sani (Kaduna Central) opted for the position of the State on the platform of APC while Senator Danjumah La’ah (Kaduna South), lost out in the primary election conducted by his party (PDP).

However in Kano state, while Senators Kabiru Gaya ( APC Kano  South) and Jibrin Barau ( APC Kano North), secured return ticket during the primary,  Ibrahim Shekarau failed, making him to defect to NNPP for the ticket but yesterday dumped NNPP for PDP with no clear sign of securing senatorial ticket or not for now.

In Sokoto state, all the three serving Senators got return tickets. The senators are Aliyu Wammakko (Sokoto North), Gobir Ibrahim Abdullahi (Sokoto East) and Ibrahim Abdullahi (Sokoto South) who defected from PDP to APC few months ago.

In North Central geo-political zone, particularly Plateau state, none of the three serving Senators namely Professor Nora Ladi  Daduut (Plateau South) Dimka Hezekiah (Plateau Central) and Gyang Istifanus Dung (Plateau North), secured return ticket from their parties.

In Kogi state, Senators Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) and Yakubu Oseni (Kogi Central) are not returning to the Senate with only Senator Jibrin Isa (Kogi East), securing returning ticket.

Also in Niger state, while fate of Senate Bima Enagi (Niger South) is not known yet, the Deputy Whip of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North) lost out in his bid for a return ticket but Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) got a return ticket from  the primary election conducted last Saturday .

In Nasarawa state, Senator Tanko Al – Makura (APC  Nasarawa South) got return ticket while Godiya  Akwashiki who earlier lost in the APC primaries, succeeded in getting Senatorial ticket from Social Democratic Party (SDP), he defected to. The third Senator now former, Adamu Abdullahi didn’t make any return bid being the  National Chairman of the ruling party now.

In  Benue and Kwara states  respectively, two out of the three Senators from the states, secured returned tickets. Those that didn’t get return tickets were Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe (Kwara Central) and Orker – Jev Emmanuel Yisa (Benue North West).

In North East geo political zone starting with Bauchi state , all the three serving senators lost out but 

Senator Haliru Jika (Bauchi Central), later secured senatorial ticket from NNPP he defected to from APC.

In Taraba state, only Senator Isa Shuaibu Lau (Taraba North),  secured return ticket while Senators Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South) and Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (Taraba Central) went for Governorship contest later won by Bwacha.

In Yobe state, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan is still struggling to retrieve Yobe North Senatorial ticket from Bashir Machina who won it during Primaries when Lawan was busy with Presidential ticket which he along with other contestants lost to Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of APC.

But the former governor of the state, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe East), and Senator Bomai Ibrahim Mohammed (Yobe South), secured return tickets from APC.

In Gombe state, Senator Amos Bulus Kilawangs (Gombe South) lost out in his return bid to former Senator Joshua Lidani while Senators Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) and Alkali Saidu (Gombe North), secured return tickets from APC. 

Similar scenario played out in Adamawa State, where Senators Ishaku Elisha Cliff Abbo (Adamawa North) and Binos Dauda Yaroe (Adamawa South), secured return tickets from APC and PDP respectively while Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani (Adamawa Central), is rooting for the governorship position of the state, having emerged as the guber candidate of APC.

In Borno state, only Senator Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) is holding a return ticket as the two other Senators i.e, Shettima Kashim (Borno Central) is now a Vice Presidential Candidate of APC and Abubakar Kyari (Borno North), the National Deputy Chairman of APC (North).

 In South West from Ondo state ,  none of the three serving Senators i.e , the Senate Deputy Leader, Ajayi Boroffice ( Ondo  North), Ayo Akinyelure ( Ondo Central) and Nicholas Tofowomo (Ondo South), returning.

In Lagos state, only Senator Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East) is returning due to shifting of political base to Ogun West by Senator Olamilekan Adeola from Lagos West and voluntary stoppage of contest by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central).

In Ogun state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun Central), is not making a return due to  Presidential contest he made, while Senator  Lekan Mustapha (Ogun East) has secured return ticket. For Ogun West, Senators Olamilekan Adeola and Tolu Odebiyi are separately laying claim to the ticket.

In Oyo state, Senators Abdulfatah Buhari (Oyo North) and Kola Balogun (Oyo South), secured return tickets but Senator Teslim Folarin (Oyo Central), did not make a return bid due to Gubernatorial ambition on the platform of APC.

However in Ekiti and Osun states, available results from primaries conducted by APC and PDP indicate that the six serving Senators from the states, secured return tickets.

In South-South geo – political zone, only Senator Clifford Ordia (Edo Central) got return ticket out of the three serving Senators from Edo state. 

In Cross River state, similar scenario played out with Senators Sandy Onor (Cross River Central) and Gershom Bassey (Cross River South), not making return bids due to gubernatorial ambitions.

Similar trend played out in Delta State  where the Deputy President of the Senate Ovie Omo – Agege (Delta Central) and James Manager (Delta South) are out of return bids due to gubernatorial ambition leaving Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North ) with return bid into the 10th Senate.

Only Senator Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South East), secured return ticket in Rivers state like Eyinkenyi Akon Etim from Akwa Ibom state .

However, in Bayelsa state, the entire three serving Senators secured return tickets.

In South East geo political zone, only Senator Ezenwa Francis (Imo East) secured senatorial ticket from Labour party while Senators Rochas Okorocha (Imo West) and   Chukwuma Frank Ibezim (Imo North), are not returning.

Similarly in Ebonyi state, only Senator Michael Nnachi (PDP Ebonyi South), secured return ticket while Senator Sam Egwu (PDP Ebonyi North) and Obinna Ogba (PDP Ebonyi Central), are not returning.

Two out of the serving senators from Abia, Anambra and Enugu states respectively, secured return tickets just as the only senator for the Federal Capital Territory, Philip Tanimu Aduda, secured return ticket.

All in all, at the level of primary election alone and fixings made thereafter across political parties, 55  out of 109 senators are out of the race for the 10th Senate in 2023, some of whom will not even make it at general election, clearly showing regular  sign of high turnover as far as numbers of senators who will not return are concerned.