As APC forms majority in Senate, House
By Musa Abdullahi Krishi & Ozibo Ozibo
No fewer than 64 serving senators and 151 members of the House of Representatives will not be in the 9th National Assembly in June when it will be inaugurated, according to Daily Trust findings.
Only 45
senators and about 209 members are returning to the federal legislature,
according to the results of the elections released so far by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Fifteen of the newly elected senators are former state governors.
Forty-two
of the 64 non-returning senators lost out in October last year at their
parties’ primaries. The remaining 22 were defeated at the Saturday’s
National Assembly elections.
The ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) has 64 senators-elect so far, while the main opposition
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has only 41. Another political party,
the Young Progressives Party (YPP) has one senator-elect.
INEC has declared 106 senators-elect so far. Three senate seats are yet to be concluded from Plateau, Kogi and Imo states.
Daily
Trust reports that the number of non-returning senators is an
improvement over 2015 when 79 senators did not return to the Red
Chamber.
Daily Trust reports that out of the 42 senators that
lost out during the primaries, few of them did not contest for
reelection, while many of them went into the contest but lost.
For
the House of Reps, the number of non-returning lawmakers represents
41.9 percent of the 360-member chamber. The number is expected to rise
as election results from some constituencies are yet to be declared.
However,
the results released so far showed that the APC got over 200 members
so far in the House, while the PDP has a little over 100.
The big losers
Among
the big losers is Senate President Bukola Saraki who has been in the
Senate since 2011. He was defeated by Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe of the
APC. Saraki was Kwara state governor between 2003 and 2011.
Also,
a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, who had served
as Minority Leader before his defection to the APC last August, lost his
return bid. He was defeated by Christopher Ekpenyong of PDP. Akpabio
was Akwa Ibom governor between 2007 and 2015.
Another former
governor, George Akume, who has been at the Senate since 2007, lost to a
serving member of the House of Reps, Emmanuel Yisa Orker-Jev. Current
Minority Leader Biodun Olujimi from Ekiti State lost to Dayo Adeyeye of
the APC.
Two governors – Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo and Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe – contested to come to the Senate but lost.
The
results released so far by INEC showed that Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of
PDP lost to Orji Uzor Kalu of APC in Abia North, while Rafiu Ibrahim
(PDP) lost to Lola Ashiru (APC) in Kwara South, with Andy Ubah (APC)
losing to Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP) in Anambra South.
Others are Shehu
Sani (PRP) who lost to Uba Sani (APC) in Kaduna Central; Suleiman
Hunkuyi (PDP) lost to Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC) Kaduna North; Barnabas
Gemade (SDP) lost to Gabriel Suswam (PDP) in Benue; Ubale Shittu (PDP)
lost to Ibrahim Hassan Hadeija (APC) in Jigawa.
The results also
showed that Binta Masi Garba (APC) lost to Ishaku Cliff (PDP) in
Adamawa North; Tayo Alasoadura (APC) lost to Ayo Akinyelure of (PDP) in
Ondo Central; Ibrahim Danbaba (PDP) lost to Abubakar Shehu Tambuwal
(APC) for Sokoto South; Victor Umeh (APGA) lost to Uche Ekwunife (PDP)
in Anambra Central.
Also, Nelson Effiong (APC) lost to Akon
Eyakenyi (PDP) in Akwa Ibom South; Ahmed Ogembe (PDP) lost to Yakubu
Oseni (APC) in Kogi Central; Suleiman Adokwe (PDP) lost to Umaru Tanko
Almakura (APC) in Nasarawa North; Mohammed Hassan (PDP) lost to Ibrahim
Mohammed Bomo (APC) in Yobe South; Duro Faseyi (PDP) lost to Olubunmi
Adetunbi (APC) in Ekiti North; Monsurat Sunmonu (ADC) lost to Teslim
Folarin (APC) in Oyo, and Ahmad MoAllayidi (APC) lost to Binos Yero
(PDP) in Adamawa South.
The 9th Senate
Daily Trust
reports that from the results released so far, APC has a simple majority
of 64 senators, higher than the 61 overall senators the party got in
2015.
Though APC has a comfortable majority, it still lacks the two-thirds majority, which is 73 senators to pass major legislation.
On
its part, PDP got 39 senators so far against the 48 overall it got in
2015. The YPP has one. There are chances that both APC and PDP may get
additional seats from the three undeclared Senate seats.
Whereas
46 senators won their reelection bid this time, only 30 senators won in
2015, while 79 senators lost their return bid in 2015.
In 2003, only 31 senators got re-elected. The number dropped to 23 in 2007.
However, in 2011, the number of returnees increased by 10, as 33 senators were re-elected.
16 ex-governors among senators-elect
Checks by Daily Trust revealed that there will be 15 former governors in the 9th Assembly.
They
include Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Kashim Shettima
(Borno), Orji Uzor Kalu and Theodore Orji (Abia), Ibrahim Shekarau and
Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa).
Others
are Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Rochas
Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Abdulaziz
Yari (Zamfara), Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto) and Chimaroke Nnamani
(Enugu).
Our correspondent reports that six of the governors are
currently serving their second terms, which will end on May 29. They
are Geidam, Okorocha, Almakura, Shettima, Yari, and Amosun.
State-by-state party spread for the 9th Senate
The
breakdown of the state-by-state seats each political party got showed
that APC got the 3 Senate seats in Kwara with PDP’s zero; Kebbi, APC 3,
PDP 0; Benue, APC 0, PDP 3; Kogi, APC 1, PDP 1 (1 pending); Borno, APC
3, PDP 0; Jigawa, APC 3, PDP 0; Edo APC 1, PDP 2; Abia, APC 1, PDP 2;
Kano, APC 3, PDP 0; Nasarawa, APC 3, PDP 0; Oyo, APC 2, PDP 1.
Others
are Gombe, APC 3, PDP 0; Kaduna, APC 2, PDP 1; Niger, APC 3, PDP 0;
Yobe, APC 3, PDP 0; Ondo, APC 1, PDP 2; Imo, APC 1, PDP 1 (1 pending);
Katsina, APC 3, PDP 0; Ogun, APC 3, PDP 0; Ekiti, APC 3, PDP 0; Adamawa,
APC 1, PDP 2; Osun, APC 2, PDP 1; Ebonyi, APC 0, PDP 3; Akwa Ibom, APC
0, PDP 3; Anambra, APC 0, PDP 2, YPP 1.
The results also indicated that APC swept all the three Senate seats in Lagos, while PDP got zero. Others are Zamfara, APC 3, PDP 0; Sokoto, APC 3, PDP 0; Taraba, APC 1, PDP 2; Delta, APC 1, PDP 2; Enugu, APC 0, PDP 3; Bauchi, APC 3, PDP 0; C/River, APC 0, PDP 3; Plateau, APC 1, PDP 1 (1 pending); FCT, PDP 1; Bayelsa, APC 1, PDP 2; Rivers, PDP 3, APC 0.
Source:- Dailytrustng
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