• Akpabio, Sani, Adeola, Uwajumogu, lead the pack
Fred Itua, Abuja ([email protected])
As the 2019 general elections draw near, some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled states and a handful of other states controlled by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are at war with the senators.
A number of factors are responsible for the raging war between state executives and federal lawmakers. They are not unconnected to succession and control of political structures of the party in their respective states.
At the moment, there are about 14 senators who are at loggerheads with their governors. They are Kabiru Marafa, Dino Melaye, Solomon Adeola, Rabiu Kwankawso, David Umaru, Biodun Olujimi, Sunday Ogbuoji and Benjamin Uwajumogu.
Others are John Enoh, Godswill Akpabio, Shehu Sani, Suleiman Hukunyi, Ajayi Boroffice and Ubali Shitu.
Kabiru Marafa
Marafa was elected Senator for Zamfara Central in Zamfara State in the April 2011 elections on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). Marafa is a trained engineer and was formerly the commissioner for Water Resources in Zamfara State.
Until 2016, when Marafa was offered a juicy committee, he was the most vociferous critic of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Marafa’s ambition to succeed the incumbent governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, has caused big fight between the duo. Since mid-2017, Marafa has been launching series of attacks against the governor, using the Senate.
At some point, Saraki had to call Marafa to order, advising him to stop using the Senate to launch attacks against his governor. Marafa has repeatedly accused Yari of neglecting his role as governor of the state. He has also boasted that Yari will not stop his ambition to become the next governor of Zamfara State.
Dino Melaye
Senator Melaye is not new to crisis. As a student, he was deeply involved in school politics. Melaye was a member of the 6th House of Representatives, where he openly opposed the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Jonathan Goodluck, calling their governments the most corrupt in Nigeria.
Melaye had threatened to beat up Senator Oluremi Tinubu and ‘impregnate’ her on the floor of the Senate. He also spearheaded the removal of Mohammed Ali Ndume as Senate leader and also pushed for his suspension.
He didn’t stop there. Early this year, he again pushed for the removal of Abdullahi Adamu as chairman of Northern Senators’ Forum. He is seen as Bukola Saraki’s ‘political godson’.
Melaye touched the tail of a viper when he waged a war against his state governor and former ally, Yahaya Bello. The ongoing war between the duo (Bello and Melaye) has reached a new height. The governor is allegedly leading an offensive to recall Melaye from the Senate. The process has reached an advanced stage. In the end, Melaye may win the war, but his re-election to the Senate may become a pipe dream.
Solomon Adeola
Adeola, also known by the alias Yayi, is the Senator representing Lagos West and chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content. In the 7th House of Representatives, he headed the committee on Public Accounts. He is also a chartered accountant.
Adeola who hails from Ogun State has joined the race to succeed incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun. Unfortunately for the first term senator, he doesn’t have the blessing of Amosun, who has often described him as a “foreigner”.
Adeola’s major headache is the toga ascribed to him as a Lagos bred politician. Despite his financial war chest and the support of the embattled former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Adeola is fighting for the political survival of his life.
There are strong indications that the senator may ditch his party, APC and align with Alliance for Democracy (AD) to actualise his dream. For now, it is a long walk to freedom for the vibrant senator.
Rabiu Kwankwaso
Kwankwaso, like Melaye, is not new to political controversies. He was a two-time governor of Kano State from 1999–2003 and 2011–2015. He was the first governor of Kano State in the Fourth Republic who was elected on the platform of the PDP. Kwankwaso lost re-election bid in 2003 to Ibrahim Shekarau and was in July same year appointed Defense Minister by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2015, Kwankwaso unsuccessfully contested the presidential primaries on the platform of the APC, but lost to Muhammadu Buhari. He then swapped to contest the senatorial seat for Kano Central Senatorial District.
His former political ‘godson’ Abdullahi Ganduje, who currently holds sway as governor of Kano State had tactically dismantled the political structure of Kwankwaso. For over a year, Kwankwaso has not visited his home state he once governed for eight years.
He is currently locked in a bitter battle with Ganduje, who on his part, has vowed not to reconcile with his erstwhile boss. Kwankwaso’s former political loyalists have switched their allegiance to Ganduje. Even when the issue came up on the floor of the Senate, the two senators from the state, Kabiru Gaya and Jibrin Barau, refused to defend him. It is still unclear if Kwankwaso will ditch APC and join forces with another political party to wrest power from Ganduje.
David Umaru
Umaru, until he finally won a senatorial seat in 2015, was described as a serial and professional governorship candidate. The senator who heads the committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters in the Red Chamber, is at loggerheads with his governor, Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State.
Coincidentally, Umaru is a member of APC like his governor. At different fora, the senator has descended heavily on his governor and has often described him as a failure. In one of his press releases, he accused the governor of siphoning billions of naira meant for payment of pensions and salaries of civil servants.
Hear him: “I am told to shut up, but I cannot keep quiet while under our watch billions of naira meant for payment of pensioners is alleged to be heartlessly diverted? Why should I not speak out when the government I campaigned to install has continued to be insensitive to the plight of our pensioners through dubious manipulation of pension reform matters thereby jeopardising the already impoverished state of our retirees.”
Biodun Olujimi
Olujimi is the Deputy Minority Whip in the Senate. He was Governor Ayodele Fayose’s deputy until 2006, when their government was sacked by the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Sadly, the outspoken senator is currently at loggerheads with Fayose and is almost on her way out of the PDP. Olujimi, who is often described as the amazon of the Senate, at some point, accused Fayose of threatening his life.
For now, it is too early to tell how events will play out in 2019. When Olujimi will slug it out in 2019, Fayose will no longer be the governor of the state. We may just have to wait and see how events will pan out.
Sunday Ogbuoji
Ogbuoji was a chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area during the military regime before the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic. He was the Commissioner for Economic Empowerment and Poverty Reduction in the government of Martin Elechi.
Earlier in the year, Ogbuoji pulled a string when he attempted to defect to the ruling APC. His defection was blocked by PDP caucus in the Senate, spearheaded by Godswill Akpabio. He is, however, seen as an APC senator in his home state.
Ogbuoji is currently in a running battle with his governor, David Umahi. The battle is not unconnected to an alleged plot to stop the senator from returning to the Senate in 2019. For now, the waters are calm and no one can tell what will come next.
Benjamin Uwajumogu
Uwajumogu represents Imo North Senatorial District in the 8th Senate. He is a former speaker of Imo State House of Assembly. He joined the Senate in 2016, following his victory at a rerun senatorial election. He defeated Attan Achonu.
If plans by the governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha to stop Uwajumogu from returning to the Senate pans out, he may end up as a one-term senator. Apparently worried that his reelection bid may run into troubled waters, Uwajumogu has aligned with the leadership of APC, which is believed not to be on the same page with Okorocha while the governor has announced that his Commissioner for Information, Prof Nnamdi Obiareri will go to the red chambers to replace Uwajumogu.
John Enoh
Enoh was a member of the PDP until May 2017 when he decamped to the ruling APC. He is the Senate Committee Chairman on Finance. Enoh represents Cross River Central Senatorial District.
Enoh’s defection to APC, was the peak of his face-off with the governor of Cross River state, Professor Ben Ayade. He is believed to be nursing a governorship ambition ahead of the 2019 general elections in the country.
Godswill Akpabio
Akpabio, popularly referred to as the ‘uncommon senator’, is a former governor of Akwa Ibom State. He is also a former commissioner. Currently, he holds sway as the Minority Leader of the Senate. He represents Akwa Ibom North-West in the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly.
Although it is not an open warfare, there are strong indications that Akpabio is currently at loggerheads with his successor, Emmanuel Udom. Aides to the duo, always exchange unfriendly banters in the media. However, the two are quick to dismiss the public warfare and claim that all is well between them.
APC is gradually gaining momentum in the state and 2019 will be interesting. There are feelers that the 2019 elections in the state will either reconcile Akpabio and Udom or forever create a permanent wall between them.
Shehu Sani
Sani represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the upper legislative chamber and heads the committee on Local and Foreign Debts. His face-off with his erstwhile friend and governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is no longer news.
For over two years, the two former allies have abused themselves publicly. At the moment, plans are underway to commence a process to recall the senator and El-Rufai is believed to be the arrowhead of the movement.
Two weeks ago, Sani dealt a big blow on El-Rufai, when his committee refused to approve a $350 million World Bank loan to the Kaduna State government. El-Rufai didn’t take the news lightly. Pundits are watching how events will play out in the end.
Suleiman Hukunyi
Hukunyi represents Kaduna North Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly. Until recently, he was El-Rufai’s right hand man. That is history now. Last month, his property, which housed the factional office of APC in Kaduna State was demolished under the alleged supervision of El-Rufai.
As a payback, Hukunyi, two weeks ago, joined forces with Sani and Danjuma La’ah who represents Kaduna South Senatorial District to defeat plans by El-Rufai to borrow a $350 million from the World Bank.
Ajayi Boroffice
Boroffice represents Ondo North Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly. He heads the Senate Committee on Science and Technology. He is a member of the ruling APC. Curiously, however, he is at loggerheads with his governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Their face-off didn’t start today. Boroffice’s alleged refusal to support the governorship bid of Akeredolu in 2016, created a fertile ground for the political bickering. Even the APC leadership in the state has not spared the senator.
In one of the statements released by the state chapter of the party, Boroffice was accused of engaging in anti-party activities and also faulted his claim that Akeredolu had polarised the party in the state. If the issues are not resolved, Boroffice may just forfeit his seat in 2019.
Mohammed Ubali Shitu
Shitu represents Jigawa North East Senatorial District in the 8th Senate and chairs the Committee on Water Resources. Shitu, like many others, is at loggerheads with his state governor, Badaru Abubakar.
Unlike others engaged in a political warfare with their governors, Shitu has threatened to challenge his governor, Abubakar in 2019. His intention to challenge his governor is believed to be a ploy to counter the moves by Abubakar to stop his re-election to the Senate in 2019. The events are still unfolding, but for now, no one can tell where the pendulum will swing to.
Beyond the aforementioned senators who are at loggerheads with their governors, there are others who are either facing one political battle or another. It is a long walk to freedom for them and these misgivings will be settled when Nigerians vote next year in the country’s general elections.