SITTING AND FORMER GOVERNORS VOTED OUT FROM SENATE IN THE 2019 ELECTION

Some sitting and former Governors of Nigerian States saw their bid to become members of the Upper Chambers of the National Assembly upstaged by their rivals in the 2019 General Elections of Nigeria. Those affected include:

1. BUKOLA SARAKI, PDP.

The former two-term Governor of Kwara State, 2003-2011 and incumbent Senate President lost to Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the All progressive Congress, APC in the race to represent Kwara Central at Senate. Mr Saraki, a medical doctor, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after joining Kwara politics in 2003 by riding on his father’s profile, lost to another medical doctor, Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the All Progressive Party (APC). Mr Oloriegbe of the APC polled 123, 828 to beat Saraki of the PDP who scored 68, 994.

2. GODSWILL AKPABIO, APC

Former Governor of Akwa Ibom and Senate’s Minority leader lost his bid to return to the Senate to represent Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District on the platform of the APC after defecting from the PDP. Chris Ekpenyong of the PDP who scored 118,215 votes as against the 83,158 scored by Akpabio was declared as Senator-Elect three days after the elections by the Returning Officer designated for the raceby the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Peter Oban.   Akpabio was Governor of Akwa Ibom between 2007 and and 2015. In 2013, he was elected Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum and in 2015 became elected as a member of the Nigerian Senate, where he wasted no time in assuming the coveted position of the Minority Leader in the Chambers representing the PDP, the erstwhile ruling party who lost in that year’s geenral elections to the APC. However, in 2018, Akpabio resigned as Minority Leader, after defecting to the ruling APC where he was touted as a factor to help the APC increase its penetration among voters in the Southern axis of Nigeria. 

3. OLUSEGUN MIMIKO, ZLP

Immediate past Governor of Ondo State under Labour Party, Mimiko total votes of 56,628 as candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, proved only enough to claim the third place  behind the incumbent, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, APC who in turn came second with 58,092. The eventual winner,  Ayo Akinyelure of the PDP polled 67,994 in the keenly contested race to claim victory as Senator-Elect, Ondo Central Senatorial District. A two Governor of Ondo State, Mimiko entered the campaign season as the presidential candidate of the ZLP only to declare for a Senatorial run a few days before the campaign was formally opened. 

4. ABIOLA AJIMOBI, APC:

The incumbent Governor of Oyo State saw his bid to join the Red Chambers come up short as he lost to Kola Balogun of the PDP who scored 105,720 votes to overwhelm Ajimobi’s 92,217. Indeed, of the nine Local Government Areas making up the Senatorial district, the incumbent Governor only managed to win three of them with the remaining six falling to his victorious opponent. Instructively, his State also fell to the PDP in the presidential elections. Ajimobi’s bid was to return to a chamber whose membership he enjoyed 2003 – 2007 before opting to run for the office of the Governor of Oyo State. He lost the bid as a member of the ANPP but made a successful feat of it in 2011: a seat he won and kept successfully for two terms terms, a combined total of 8 years (2011 – 2019).

5. IBRAHIM DANKWABO, PDP.

Dankwambo would not be Gombe North’s  Senator in the 9th Assembly as he lost  his bid to Sa’idu Alkali who polled 152,546 to upstage the 88,016 voted registered by the incumbent term-limited Governor. Dankwambo rising star which saw the former staff of the Central bank of Nigeria rise to become Accountant General of Gombe State and then Accountant-General of the Federation from where he catapulted into the Office of Governor of Gombe State suffered its second hiccough after having his bid as nominee of the PDP for the presidential elections rejected. 

6. GEORGE AKUME, APC

Akume, a two-time Governor of Benue State (1999- 2007) was first elected to the Senate under the platform of the PDP after his stint as Governor. In 2011, he got re-elected as a member of the ACN becoming the Minority Leader of the Senate, 2011 – 2015. Emmanuel Orker Jev of the PDP scored 157,726 to defeat Akume who polled 115,422 votes for the slot to represent Benue North West at the Senate for the 9th Assembly.

Meanwhile the following members of the Governors’ network were declared Senators-Elect in the same election:

SITTING TWO-TERM (TERM LIMITED) GOVERNORS

1. Rochas Okorocha of Imo State as Senator-Elect, Imo-West District (announded under ‘duress’);
2. Ibikun Amosun of Ogun State as Senator-Elect, Ogun Central District, a seat he occupied, between 2003 – 2007);
3. Kashim Shettima of Borno State as Senator-Elect, Borno-Central District;
4. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State as Senator, Nasarawa South District;
5. Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State as Senator-Elect, Yobe East District;
6. Abdul’Aziz Yari of Zamfara State as Senator-Elect, Zamfara West District;

FORMER GOVERNORS

1. Orji Kalu (1999-2007 Governor of Abia State) – 1st term as Senator-Elect, Abia North;
2. Theodore Orji (2007-2015 Governor of Abia State) – 2nd term as Senator-Elect, Abia Central;
3. Sam Egwu (1999 – 2007, Governor of Ebonyi State) – 2nd term as Senator-Elect, Ebonyi North,;
4. Danjuma Goje (2003 – 2011 Governor of Gombe State) – 2nd term as Senator-Elect, Gombe Central);
5.  Chimaroke Nnamani (1999-2007 Governor of Enugu) – Senator Elect, Enugu East (which he once represented 2007 -2011)
6. Ibrahim Shekarau (2003 – 2007 Governor of Kano State) – Senator-Elect, Kano Central District;
7. Adamu Abdullahi (1999-2007, Governor of Nasarawa State) – 2nd term as Senator-Elect, Nasarawa West District;
8. Aliyu Wamakko (2007 – 2015 Governor of Sokoto State) – 2nd term as Senator-Elect, Sokoto North District;
9. Adamu Aliero (1999 – 2007 Governor of Kebbi State) – third term as Senator-Elect, Kebbi Central District;