The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Although the Commission announced the results of the elections, winners are yet to emerge in some senatorial districts because the elections in those places were declared inconclusive.
Out of 109 senatorial districts, only the results of the national assembly election held in 98 senatorial districts were released, while INEC declared the election in 11 districts inconclusive.
Although the election was conducted in 325 federal constituencies, the results for 35 constituencies were declared inconclusive.
At a ceremony held in Abuja last week, INEC presented Certificates of Return to 98 Senators-elect and 325 House of Representatives members-elect.
Only three of the 98 senators-elect are women. The House of Representatives for now has 14 female members out of 325. So the total number of female legislators expected in the forthcoming 10th National Assembly is 17. This may increase with time.
Senate
There are eight female members of the Senate at present, but it appears that none of them will make it to the 10th Senate because they were either defeated in the national assembly election or did not contest at all. Some of them also opted for higher positions.
Those who lost their re-election bids are Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South); Senator Stella Oduah (Anambra North) and Senator Lilian Ekwunife (Anambra Central).
Senator Betty Apiafi (Rivers West) failed to secure a return ticket during the primaries and she was replaced with the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Banigo Ipalibo Harry, who has gone ahead to win the election.
Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Senator Nora Ladi Dadu’ut (Plateau South) and Senator Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom South) did not seek re-election.
Senator Tinubu is the wife of the President – elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On her part, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) opted to contest in the governorship election in Adamawa State.
Three women that are already senators-elect are Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party who will be representing the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate; Idiat Oluranti Adebule of the APC who won in Lagos West Senatorial District and Banigo Ipalibo Banigo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who won in Rivers West Senatorial District.
Ireti Heebah Kingibe
Born on June 2, 1954, is a civil engineer and had her education at the Queens College, Lagos, Washington Irving High School, and the University of Minnesota, United States, where she bagged a degree in Civil Engineering.
She defeated Philip Aduda who represented the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the senate in the national assembly election.
Kingibe’s political career began in 1990 with her appointment as Adviser to the National Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party, (SDP).
In 2003 she was the FCT senatorial candidate for the All Nigeria People’s party. She defected to the Peoples Democratic Party in 2006. However, in 2014 she joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), because she could not handle the politics in PDP.
In 2015 she ran for the senatorial seat under APC, but she later withdrew from the race.
Idiat Adebule
Adebule defeated Segun Adewale of the PDP. INEC Collation Officer, Prof. Solomon Akinboye, declared the former Lagos deputy governor winner for scoring the highest valid votes.
Adebule polled 361,296 votes to defeat Segun Adewale of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 248,653.
She was born on November 27, 1970. Adebule served as the 15th deputy governor of Lagos State and the sixth woman to occupy the office from 2015 to 2019.
Dr Adebule political experience started when she was appointed as Commissioner 1 in the Lagos State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (PP-TESCOM) now Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from October 2000 to February 2005 and later as board member of the Lagos State Scholarship Board from February 2005 to November 2005. She was appointed and sworn in as the Secretary to the State Government by the Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) in July, 2011. She was sworn in as the Lagos state deputy governor on May 29, 2015 by the Chief Justice of Lagos.
Dr Ipalibo Banigo
Dr Ipalibo Banigo is a medical doctor and the current deputy governor of Rivers State.
She was born to the Harry family of Obuama in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on December 20, 1952. She made history as the first female deputy governor of Rivers State since May 29, 2015. She attended Queens College, Yaba, Lagos between 1964 and 1968 and returned to the same school between 1969 and 1970 for a high school result.
She proceeded to the University of Ibadan and obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and thus qualified as a medical doctor in 1976.
She emerged winner of the Rivers West Senatorial District with 67, 668 votes.
House of Representatives
In the House of Representatives, of the 14 females who won, Seven are new faces, while the remaining Seven are returning lawmakers.
The new faces that won include Nnabuife Chinwe Clara of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), who won the Orumba North/Orumba South federal constituency of Anambra State; Orogbu Obiageli of the LP won the Awka North/Awka South federal constituency; Gwacham Maureen Chime of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won the Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency of Anambra; Regina Akume of the APC won the Gboko/Tarka federal constituency of Benue; Ibori-Suenu Erhiatake of the PDP won Ethiope East/Ethiope West constituency of Delta State, while Fatima Talba of APC won Nangre/Potiskum constituency of Yobe State.
Others are Onuh Onyeche Blessing of the APC, who clinched Otukpo/Ohimini constituency of Benue State; Zainab Gimba of APC won Bama/Ngala/Kala-Balge constituency of Borno State; Beni Butmak Lar of the PDP won Lantang North/Lantang South constituency of Plateau State, while Goodhead Boma of the PDP won Akuku Toru/Asari Toru constituency of Rivers State.
Also among winners are Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim of the APC, who won Damaturu/Gujba/Gulani/Tarmuwa constituency of Yobe State; Onuoha Miriam Odinaka of the APC won Isiala Mbano/Okigwe/Onuimo constituency of Imo State and Adewunmi Ariyomi Onanuga of the APC won Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North constituency of Ogun State.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
