Past and present Governors likely to become Senators in 2023

The notion “no one is ready to quit the seat of power” seems applicable to some past and present governors who have emerged as senatorial candidates for their respective districts for the forthcoming general election.

In Nigeria 1999 amended Constitution, there was no law that banned them[the former and past governors] from contesting to be senators or Representatives. This lack of no law seems to have triggered most of them to have seen the Senate House as home of retirement after eight[8] years as governors.

NRTC found out that currently, fourteen[14] past governors are currently serving in the 9th National Assembly which will expire on June 11, 2023. Investigation further revealed that most of them who could not secure returning tickets in their respective parties defected to other parties to clinch the returning ticket.

After the conclusion of the primary election of political parties, NRTC found out that the total number of past and present governors returning as senators in the 10th Assembly is twenty-eight[28] with the senate house consisting of 109 members.

If they emerged, they would serve as senators in the 10th Assembly.

Ex-governors to become first termer Senators 

Adams Oshiomhole

Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole was the former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) and a two-time Governor of Edo State.

The seventy-year-old was suspended from APC in 2019 and emerged as the party flagbearer for the Edo North senatorial candidate, in Edo State. 

If elected he will be serving his first term in the 10th assembly.

Dave Umahi

Dave Umahi started his political career as the acting Chairman of the Ebonyi state People Democratic Party(PDP) and rose to become the chairman in 2009.

In 2011, he became the Deputy Governor and later Executive Governor.

The governor who will be rounding off his second term in office in 2023, was one of the three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors that dumped the party for the ruling party between late November 2020 and June 2021.

He contested for the presidential primary of the party and lost to Bola Tinubu while his younger brother, Austin Umahi, won the Ebonyi South senatorial primary of the party in May.

Umahi became APC Ebonyi South senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election after his younger brother stepped down for him leading to a rerun primary.

Aminu Tambuwal

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who will be completing his second term as Sokoto State Governor in 2023 was a member of the People Democratic Party(PDP).

Tambuwal who had served as the 10th Speaker of the House of Representatives started his political journey in 1999 will be contesting as the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Sokoto South.

He had represented Tambuwal/Kebbe federal constituency in the House of Representatives for three terms. If elected, it will be his first time as a senator.

Darius Ishaku 

Darius Dickson Ishaku the incumbent Taraba State Governor emerged as a consensus candidate for Taraba South under the umbrella of the People Democratic Party(PDP) for the 2023 general election.

Ishaku was formerly supervising Minister for Power, supervising Minister for Environment and the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs.  

If elected, he will be serving as a senator for the first term in the 10th Assembly.

Samuel Ortom

Samuel Ioraer Ortom who started his political journey as Executive Chairman of Guma Local Government Area on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1991, also served as minister of state trade and investments under former president Goodluck Jonathan.

Ortom whose second term will elapse as Benue State Governor in 2023 will be contesting as a senator for Benue South West District under the platform of APC for the first time.

If elected, it will be his first time in the senate.

Okezie Ikpeazu 

Okezie Victor Impeazu whose second term in office as Governor of Abia State will end in 2023 started his political journey as Chairman Transition Committee (TC) for Obingwa Local Government Area as well as Special Adviser to the Governor of Abia State.

Governor Ikpeazu who is contesting as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Abia South will battle his former ally and a former Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) for the same district.

 If elected, the incumbent governor will be serving as a senator for the first time  in the 10th Assembly.

Alhaji Sani Bello

Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello whose second term as governor of Niger State will end in 2023 is contesting for Niger North Senatorial District under the umbrella of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC).

If he emerges in the forthcoming general election, he will serve as a senator for the first time.

Ibrahim Danwkambo

Ibrahim Danwkambo, a two-term former governor of Gombe State is contesting for Gombe North Senatorial District under the platform of the main opposition People Democratic Party(PDP) in the forthcoming general election.

If elected, the former governor who had also served as Accountant-General of the Federation as well as Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria will be serving as a senator for the first time in the 10th Assembly.  

Adulaziz Yari

Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, who served between 2011 and 2019 on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and subsequently, All Progressives Congress is contesting for Zamfara West Senatorial District under the banner of APC.

Yari, whose Senatorial election victory was nullified in 2019 by the Supreme Court, on the ground that they[the candidates] were not validly nominated through party primaries, became politically active in 1999.

If elected,  he will be serving for the first time after being nullified by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Lawrence Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi whose second term as the Executive Governor of Enugu State will end in 2023 is contesting as Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senatorial candidate for Enugu North Senatorial District.

Ugwuanyi who had served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for 12 years, will serve as senator for the first time, if elected.

Simon Lalong 

Simon Lalong who emerged as the 5th Executive Governor of Plateau State in 2015, will end his second term in office in 2023.

Lalong who was appointed as Plateau State Director-general of the APC presidential campaign for next year’s general election will be contesting as a candidate for the Plateau South senatorial seat in 2023.

Lalong had previously served as a Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly under the umbrella of PDP before dumping the party for the ruling APC.

If elected, he will be serving as a senator for the first time.

Gbenga Daniel 

Gbenga Daniel, a two-term Ogun State Governor will be contesting as Ogun East senatorial candidate in the forthcoming general election.

The 66-year-old will be contesting under the umbrella of the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC)— if emerged, it will be his first term as a senator.

Aliyu Wammako

Aliyu Wammako started his political journey as appointed Chairman of the Sokoto Local Government Area from 1986 to 1987. He was also a two-term Deputy Governor.

Wamako, a two-term Governor of Sokoto State under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is contesting as a senator to represent Sokoto North Senatorial District under APC.

It will be Wammako’s first term as a senator if elected.

Former Senators with returning ticket

Ibrahim Gaidam

Ibrahim Gaidam, a long serving Governor of Yobe State who served for ten years, is the incumbent Senator of Yobe East Senatorial District, Nigeria since June 2019. 

Gaidam won the returned ticket of the All Progressive Congress(APC), unopposed for the Yobe East Senatorial District in the forthcoming general election and if elected, he will be serving a second term.

Seriake Dickson 

Seriake Dickson who began his political career as a member of the Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria), was elected as the Bayelsa State chapter chairman of the party from 1998 to 2000.

Dickson rose to become a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 until 2012 before becoming Governor on 14 February 2012 to 14 February 2020.

He is the incumbent Senator representing Bayelsa – West in the 9th National Assembly and will be returning under the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Saminu Turaki

Saminu Turaki was a two-term executive Governor of Jigawa State.  He was the Jigawa state chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). 

He was one term senator representing Jigawa North-West Senatorial District and currently running for the second term under the PDP  in the 2023 general elections.

Gabriel Suswan

 

Gabriel Torwua Suswam’s political career started in the 1999 election when he ran and won the House of Representatives for the Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency, under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

Suswam was a two-term governor of Benue State and the current Senator representing Benue North East Senatorial District.

If elected in the forthcoming election he will be serving his second term as Senator representing Benue North East Senatorial District.

Ibrahim Shekarau

Ibrahim Shekarau was a two-term Governor of Kano State and a former Nigerian minister of education. He aspired to become Nigeria’s President under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2011  general elections.

Shekarau a former Senator, re-emerged as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)’s candidate for the Kano Central Senatorial District at the 2023 general election.

Adamu Aliero

Adamu Aliero served as Governor of Kebbi State from 1999-2007 and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2008–2010.

 Aliero who is currently serving as the Senator representing Kebbi Central district in the 9th National Assembly began his political career in 1998 when he contested and won a Senate seat representing the Kebbi Central constituency on the platform of the now defunct United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

However, the Federal High Court in Birnin Kebbi has nullified the election that produced him as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for Kebbi Central Senatorial District in the forthcoming general elections.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to substitute Aliero’s name with Haruna Saidu.

If he contested and won, it’ll make it three times he will serve as a Senator.

Sam Egwu

Sam Ominyi Egwu was a two-term Governor of Ebonyi State in the 1999 Ebonyi State gubernatorial election from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.

Egwu the current senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial district re-emerged as the district candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Godswill Akpabio 

Godswill Akapbio was a two-term Governor of Akwa Ibom state. Akpabio resigned as an Honourable Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources under President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration to contest for the presidential ticket of the All Progressive Congress.

Akpabio who currently occupied the Senate seat of the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District from 2015 – 2019 was excluded from the two lists initially released by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, until the last list due to some irregularities.

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu

Abubakar Atiku Bagudu whose second term as a Governor of Kebbi State will end in 2023, was a former Senator of the Kebbi Central constituency of Kebbi state.

Bagudu will be serving as a senator for the second time if elected as a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the upcoming Kebbi Central Senatorial ticket holding in 2023.

Ben Ayade 

Ben Bengioushuye Ayade started his political journey serving in various government ministries, departments and agencies and later became a senator to represent the Cross River North senatorial district in the 7th assembly.

Ayade, who will be ending his second term as governor, dumped PDP for All Progressives Congress (APC)and emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Cross River North Senatorial District in the 2023 election after losing at the presidential primary election.

If elected, he will be serving a second term in the 10th assembly. 

Kabiru Gaya

Kabiru Gaya,  a two-term governor of Kano State will be contesting as a returning candidate for Kano south senatorial district under APC.

Gaya 2007 served as the Senate’s Deputy Minority Whip from 2007 till 2011. He will be serving for the fourth term if reelected.

Chimaroke Nnamani

Chimaroke Nnamani, a two-term Governor of Enugu State won the senatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the Enugu East senatorial seat in the 2023 general elections.

If elected Nnamani, an incumbent will be serving for the third term. 

Mohammed Danjuma Goje

Mohammed Danjuma Goje started his political career as a member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, where he served a single term from 1979 to 1983.

Danjuma who was unsuccessful in his bid to run for senator in 1999 was appointed as a minister of State, Power and Steel under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2001.

Danjuma who was a two-term former Governor of Gombe State under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, and currently representing Gombe Central and returning as a candidate under the All Progressives Congress.

If elected in the forthcoming general election into the 10th assembly,  he will be serving for the fourth time.

Orji Uzor Kalu 

Orji Uzor Kalu started his political career as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and the chairman of the PPA Board of Trustees.

Orji Uzor Kalu was a two-term Governor of Abia State and is currently the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, serving as the Chief Whip of the House of Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Kalu who was PDP presidential candidate in the April 2007 general election is re-contesting for the 10th Assembly under the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Umar Al-makura

Umar Al-makura was elected as Executive Governor of Nasarawa under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and served for 8 years. 

Almakura started his political journey as the youth leader of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Plateau State. 

He was first elected as a senator in 2019 and is contesting for the second time under the platform of the APC to continue to represent Nasarawa South.