Victoria Ngozi Ikeano

While we await the result of the presidential election from the nation’s chief returning officer, INEC boss, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, an overview of the National Assembly results, as at the time of this write-up, particularly the upper chamber, the main focus of this article,, indicate three things. One is that the red chamber as the senate is also known here, would be wearing a new face with a whole lot of new comers, ditto a set of new leadership.

   The second is that the Nigerian senate is no longer a walk in the park for sitting governors as it used to be, leading to it being referred to as a retirement place for them. Third is that the era of godfatherism in Nigerian politics is ebbing away with the likes of Saraki (of the Oloye dynasty of Kwara), Kwankwaso (of the kwankwasia movement in kano), Akpabio (the uncommon senator and former governor of Akwa Ibom) and Chris Uba (the ‘pioneer’ godfather) all falling by the wayside.

On a lighter note, a fourth point is that the 109 senators would not be exhibiting contorted countenances in the heat of arguments and counter arguments as the incoming senator-elect, Patrick Obahiagbon would be softening their faces with his unique grammar that would send them and viewers rocking in their seats.  This is good is it not, as laughter is said to be a good medicine, notwithstanding that many of us, including his colleagues in the chamber may not be able to decipher what Chief Obahiagbon would be saying.

Almost all the governors whose tenures expire this year are vying for the senate seat of their zones. While some made it, some others stumbled on their way thereto.  This is the first time it is happening. Among those that failed is Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, one of the only two PDP governors in the north (before incumbent Benue and Kwara states’ governors cross carpeted to PDP last year).  The governor also contested for the party’s presidential ticket at the eye-popping Port-Harcourt national convention. Having lost the bid to become his party’s presidential flag bearer, Dankwambo a former auditor-general of Nigeria sought to boost his political career by becoming a senator.

However, he met a brick wall in his APC counterpart, Sa’idu Alkali who defeated him by a significant margin, polling 152,546 votes as against 88,016 for the governor whom some described as ‘amiable’.

In Oyo state Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s ambition was truncated by Dr. Kola Balogun, a revered chief of Ibadanland who won the Oyo South senatorial district  poll with 105,720 votes while the governor had 92,218. Among the incumbent governors now senators-elect worth mentioning is Umaru Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State who defeated a long time occupant of the red chamber that was gunning for a fourth term in the person of   Senator  Suleiman A. Adokwe. 

There is Imo state’s Governor Rochas Okorocha who in spite of the opposition seemingly massed against him still won his  Imo West senatorial seat; ditto former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu who since he left office after completing his mandatory two term tenure had been trying unsuccessfully to get elected into the red chamber. He succeeded this time around, under the banner of APC.

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For the first time since inception of the 4th republic in 1999, the PDP lost the national assembly elections in Nasarawa North senatorial zone.

About the most interesting senate contest is that of Anambra south where four notable persons, all of them billionaires in their own rights and with some pedigree slugged it out. They are, Chris Uba, flying the flag of PDP. He is an acclaimed godfather who boasts of having produced governors of Anambra state irrespective of their parties. However, he is better remembered for his intrigues against his erstwhile godson, then Governor Chris Ngige, now minister of the Federal Republic; Incumbent Senator Andy Uba, elder brother of Chris Uba who governed Anambra state for a few months under PDP before the courts overturned his ‘mandate.’ He vied for this 2019 senate seat on the platform of APC, having decamped from the PDP; Nicholas Ukachukwu an Abuja-based millionaire businessman who is into real estate business and who had tried to be governor but failed.

He is the ruling party’s (APGA) candidate; Ifeanyi Uba (no relation to the aforementioned Ubas), chairman of Capital Oil and Gas, owner of Ifeanyiuba football club, who is perhaps better known as founder of the ‘Transformation ambassadors’ during former president Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election campaign. He contested under the Young Progressives Party (YPP) which presidential candidate is Dr. Kingsley Moghalu. Surprisingly, of all four powerful gladiators, the candidate of the relatively unknown YPP, Ifeanyi Uba emerged victorious. He thereby de-mystifies the widely held belief in Nigeria that you have to pitch your tent with a big party to be able to stand a chance of winning any election. Congratulations.

Chief Victor Umeh of APGA will go down in history as one of the senators with the briefest stay in the Nigerian senate.  Umeh contested the Anambra central senatorial district election in 2015 but his opponent was declared winner, he disputed the result in court and after a long winding court case, the court ordered a re-run which INEC conducted in late 2017. He won that re-run and was subsequently sworn in as senator in early 2018 when the 8th Senate was over two years into its lifespan. His election was widely hailed then, being APGA’s first senator in the National Assembly.

Now APGA has lost that seat and will have no representation in the 9th senate as Uche Ekwunife of PDP defeated Umeh in that zone.  Another female, Stella Oduah also of the PDP beat the APGA candidate for the Anambra North seat.

While northern Nigeria’s only female senator in the 8th Senate, Binta Masi Garba of APC lost her Adamawa North election to Ishaku Cliff of PDP, another female also of the APC (Aisha Dahiri a.k.a Binani) is stepping in, having beaten Murtala Modibbo to clinch the Adamawa Central senate seat. There may well be other females coming on board as results are still trickling in.  Worthy of note is that there are some incumbent national assembly members who decamped from one party to the other (at the peak of the cross carpeting saga) to boost their chances of winning but lost in their new parties.

Ikeano writes via [email protected]