Fred Itua, Abuja 

Last Saturday’s National Assembly election has left in its trail, shocking upsets in Senate.

Presiding officers and ranking senators have been sacked by their constituents; according to some results declared from collation centres from some states.

The heaviest loss was in Kwara Central, the senatorial seat of Senate President, Bukola Saraki. He lost to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Yahaya Oloriegbe.

Saraki is a two-term senator. 

Next was the defeat of the Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, of Ekiti State.

She lost to the APC candidate, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye. Like Saraki, Olujimi is also a two-term senator. 

Similarly, Tayo Alasoadura, a ranking senator and a member of the APC, lost his return bid to Senator Ayo Akinyelure, of the PDP.

One of the new entrants to the Ninth Senate is former governor of Abia State and stalwart of the APC, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, who defeated controversial senator and a member of the PDP, Mao Ohabunwa.

Kalu will represent Abia North in the Red Chamber. Kalu will step into the chamber as a ranking lawmaker as he is a former member of the House of Representatives.

The only All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senator in the chamber, Victor Umeh, lost to the candidate of the PDP, Senator Uche Ekwunife.

Umeh was elected to the Senate in January 2018, after a long legal battle with his rival, Ekwunife.

Senator Binta Garba, who has represented Adamawa North since 2015, also lost her re-election. She was defeated by Ishaku Cliff, of the PDP.

Former PDP national chairman, Barnabas Gemade, was defeated by a former parliamentarian and former governor of his homes state of Benue, Gabriel Suswan, of the PDP.

Gemade is a two-term senator and he defected to the Social Democratic Party to contest the senatorial election.

In Kogi State, Ahmed Ogembe, of Kogi Central, lost his return bid to Yakubu Oseni. Oseni is of the APC, while Ogembe is a member of the PDP. 

Other ranking senators, have also won their elections to return to the chamber.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, made history in his state as he has been re-elected for a record fifth time to represent Enugu West.

Senate Leader, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan has also been re-elected from Yobe.

He is, like Ekweremadu, a ranking senator who crossed over to the Red Chamber from the House of Representatives, where he was also a ranking member.

Philip Aduda, Minority Whip, has also been re-elected.

Others are Enyinnaya Abaribe, Clifford Ordia, Francis Alimikhena, Kabiru Gaya, Stella Oduah, Chukwuka Utazi, Bassey Akpan, Jibrin Barau, Dino Melaye, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Peter Nwaoboshi, among others.

In 2015, the APC didn’t produce any senator from the entire five states of the South East.

Against all odds, Melaye returned to the chamber, to represent Kogi West.

In the Ninth Senate, the South East has improved on its 2015 record as two APC senators-elect, Kalu and Rochas Okorocha,  have already emerged from the South East.

Meanwhile, there are feelers that the battle of succession in the Senate may soon commence as soon as election results are announced and concluded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The APC and PDP are yet to openly zone the various positions in the Senate to the six geopolitical zones of the country. 

Meanwhile, INEC has declared the candidate of the PDP, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, as winner of Enugu East senatorial district election.

Nnamani, who was former Enugu governor, won the entire six local government areas in the district, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Prince Lawrence Eze and Uchenna Nwegbo of the All Progressive Grand Alliance.

Announcing the result yesterday morning, INEC Returning Officer for the senatorial district, Prof. Michael Okolie of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu North (Central Development Centre) disclosed that Nnamani polled 128,843 votes to beat Eze, who garnered 14,586 votes and the APGA candidate who polled a total of 1,586 votes to come a distant third.

Ogun Governor, Ibikunle Amosun will be making a return to the chambr in June. He was there from 2003 to 2007.