Constituents Reject Senators Gaya, Olujimi, Egwu, Others at Poll

The Tsunami that swept about 70 per cent of the current members of the Senate during the primaries of political parties last year, further depleted the hallowed red chambers at the end of the just concluded National Assembly elections. Sunday Aborisade reports.

Apart from all the six female Senators that would not make it to the 10th Senate, some ranking Senators also lost at the poll last Saturday.
The female Senators that lost in their re-election bid are Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South); Stella Oduah (Anambra North); and Lilian Ekwunife (Anambra Central).
Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Nora Ladi Dadu’ut (Plateau South), and Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom South) did not seek re-election.
With the prevailing trend, the 10th National Assembly may be dominated by fresh legislators with the attendant adverse effects on institutional memory which usually strengthen the legislative institution.

Other serving Senators who lost their bid to return to the red chamber after Saturday’s poll are the Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central), Kola Balogun (Oyo South); Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North), Michael Ama Nnachi (Ebonyi South), Kabiru Gaya (Kano Central); Francis Alimikhena (Edo North); Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North);Gabriel Suswan (Benue North-East) and Senator Bala Na Allah Kebbi South).
Announcing the result at the collation center for Kebbi South in Zuru, Professor Ibrahim Mohammed, said PDP scored 75,232 votes, while APC scored 70,787.
Serving governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Ben Ayade (Cross River), lost their bid to retire to the 10th Senate.

Despite the controversies that trailed his candidature which was later resolved at the Supreme Court, President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, won his re-election to the Senate for the fifth term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Lawan, who won the Saturday Senatorial election by a landslide victory having polled 91,318 votes, representing 74.7 percent of the total valid votes(122,193), to defeat his closest rival, Bello Ilu of PDP who polled 22,849 votes dedicated his victory for the people of Yobe North Senatorial District in Yobe State.
Also, the Chief Whip of the Senate and Candidate of the APC, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has been declared winner of the Abia-North Senatorial elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The former governor of Abia State polled a total of 30,805 votes to defeat his major opponents Mao Ohuabunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 15, 175 votes while Nnamdi Iroh of the Labour Party got 25,540 votes.

Similarly, the Senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has been re-elected. Dickson was declared winner of the Bayelsa West Senatorial District election by the Senatorial Returning Officer, Prof Akpan Emnanuel, on Monday.

The former two-term Governor of Bayelsa State polled 27,000 votes to defeat candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Wilson Ayakpo Dauyegha, who scored 8,375 votes.

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (APC Niger East) has also been declared winner of the Niger East Senatorial District. He scored a total of 229,415 votes to beat his opponent Isiaku Sani of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 116,143.

Similarly, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party for Nasarawa North Senatorial district, Godiya Akwashiki, has also won his re-election bid.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, polled 69,351 votes to defeat Ajijola Lateef of the PDP who polled 26,181 votes.
Umar Sadiq Sulaimon of the APC was declared winner of the Kwara North Senatorial District.

Sulaimon polled 78,015 votes to beat his closest rival, Issa Bawa Adamu of the PDP, who garnered 41,443 votes, while the Labour Party (LP) Candidate, Moses Rebecca, got 1,947 votes.

The declaration was made by the Returning Officer for Kwara North, Professor Oluwole Akinola.
In the same vein, Senator Lola Ashiru, representing Kwara South Senatorial District, APC, has been reelected for another term. Ashiru of the APC polled a total of 55,966 votes, while Senator Rafiu Ibrahim of the PDP received 34,950 votes

Ibrahim Mustapha of the PDP has been declared winner of the election in Kaduna North Senatorial District.
PDP candidate in the Cross Rivers North Senatorial District elections, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has been declared winner in Saturday’s National Assembly elections.

Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Dr Emmanuel Emanghe said the PDP scored 76,145 votes to defeat the incumbent APC Governor of the State, Professor Ben Ayade, who scored 56,595 votes. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe has thus been re-elected to the senate.

Senate Spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, has lost his bid to return to the senate, after losing to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Fadeyi Olubiyi. Declaring result of the election at the Osun Central Senatorial collation centre, Osogbo City Hall, Olonkoro, the collation officer, Professor Ibrahim Usman, disclosed that Olubiyi scored 134, 229 to defeat Basiru, who polled 117,609.

Former Governor of Ogun, Gbenga Daniel, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared winner of the Ogun-East Senatorial election held on Saturday.

Christopher Onwuka, INEC Returning Officer for the senatorial district, announced the results on Sunday at the collation centre in Itoro Hall, Ijebu-Ode. Onwuka said Mr Daniel scored 115,147 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ajibola Kalejaiye of the PDP, who scored 58,708 votes.

Also, Senator Solomon Adeola polled a total of 112, 887 votes to defeat Ganiyu Obanibasiri of the PDP, who scored 60,189 votes. Adeola scored the highest votes of 112,887, to emerge winner of the Ogun-West Senatorial District.

Busunessman and Enterpreneur, Mr Jimoh Ibrahim, polled 110,665 votes to defeat a former deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi of the PDP, who polled 65, 784 votes to emerge the Senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District.

Declaring former Governor Godswill Akpabio as the winner of the contest for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Professor Anthony Udoh, said the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, satisfied all conditions to be declared the winner having polled 115,401 valid votes.

The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem, who came a distant second, polled 69,838 votes.

Former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, also won Zamfara West Senate seat under the APC. The Returning Officer, Zamfara West Senatorial Election, Prof. Rufus Tinuola, said Yari scored 147,346 votes against his closest opponent of the PDP, Bello S-Fagon, who scored 58,832 votes. According to him, other candidates Ibrahim Musa of ADC scored 150 votes, Ahmad Lawali of APP scored 75 votes and Aliyu Yahaya of LP had 111 votes.

Former governors of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje and Ibrahim Dankwambo won their bids to represent their senatorial districts.
Goje of the APC was declared winner for Gombe Central Senatorial district while Dankwambo of the PDP emerged winner of Gombe North Senatorial election. Anthony Siyako of PDP clinched Gombe South Senatorial seat.

Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro of the PDP has won his re-election bid. He polled 76,459 votes to defeat his closest rival Daniel Onjeh of APC who polled 59, 595 and Joe Ojobo of LP who polled 40,194 votes
However, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom of the PDP lost to Titus Zam of the APC in the contest for Benue North West Senatorial District. Zam polled 143,151 votes to defeat Ortom who got 106,888 votes and Mark Gbilah of LP who scored 51,151 votes.