With the successful conduct of the National Assembly Election penultimate Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the outcome of the election is known and the winners have emerged.
It is obvious from the results that many new faces will be seen in the Red Chamber when the 10th Senate is inaugurated in June.
Although some ranking members of the upper legislative chamber lost to relatively unknown opponents in the election, their loss has provided the greenhorns a much-needed opportunity to serve the country to the best of their ability. The new entrants are expected to learn the ropes as they interact with the older and more experienced lawmakers on the floor of the Senate.
THEWILL presents some of the newcomers that will be in the Senate in June:
Idiat Adebule – Lagos West
Oluranti Adebule served as the 15th Deputy Governor of Lagos State and the sixth woman to occupy the office from 2015 to 2019.
Dr Adebule’s political journey started when she was appointed Commissioner 1 in the Lagos State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (PP-TESCOM) now Teachers ‘Establishment and Pensions Office by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from October 2000 to February 2005 and later as a member of the Lagos State Scholarship Board between February 2005 and 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 Deputy Governor of the state on May 29, 2015 by the Chief Justice of Lagos.
She will be replacing Senator Adeola Olamilekan, popularly known as Yayi, who has moved to his home-state Ogun where he has picked the ticket for Ogun West Senatorial District.
Wasiu Eshinlokun – Lagos Central
RT .Hon. Wasiu Esinlokun Sanni is a versatile and outstanding politician. He is currently serving a third term as an Honourable member and a second term as the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Gbenga Daniel – Ogun East
Gbenga Daniel was a two-term governor of Ogun State. between 2003 and 2011. He was declared by INEC as the winner of the Ogun East Senatorial election. He recorded a landslide victory with 115,147 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) candidates, who polled 58,708 and 13,061 votes, respectively.
Daniel, an engineer, will be replacing Senator Olalekan Mustapha. He will be going to the Senate as a greenhorn.
Shuaib Afolabi Salis – Ogun Central
Salis won the Ogun Central Senatorial election on February 25, 2023. He is the former Chief of Staff to the state governor. He will be replacing the incumbent Sen. Ibikunle Amosun at the red chamber.
Cyril Fasuyi – Ekiti North
Cyril Fasuyi, who carried the banner of the APC in Ekiti North, won the senatorial election when he polled 54, 224 to defeat the PDP candidate, Funso Ayeni, who scored 39,976.
Fasuyi was the Director General of the Biodun Oyebanji governorship campaign, and he is a new entrant to the upper legislative chamber.
Okey Ezea – Enugu North
Okey Ezea defeated the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in the Enugu North Senatorial election.
Ezea, who is a lawyer and businessman, holds a Master’s degree in political law from the University of Lagos. He is the Chief Executive Officer, Ideke Shipping Company. He joined politics in 2003, and ran for governorship in 2003 and 2007 in Enugu State. He hails from Igbo Eze South in Enugu State.
Osita Ngwu- Enugu West
Mr. Osita Ngwu emerged the winner of Enugu West senatorial election. Ngwu, who was running for the first time on the platform of the PDP, beat the Labour Senatorial Candidate and member currently representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, Dennis Oguerinwa.
Ngwu scored 52,473 votes to beat Amadi, who garnered 48,053 votes. Ngwu, is an engineer and businessman, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology and Master’s Degree from the Business School of London.
In 2018, he contested on the platform of the PDP to represent Udi/Ezeagu in the House of Representatives. He, however, stepped down on compassionate grounds for the incumbent member, Dennis Amadi. Thereafter, he proceeded to offer his help towards the progress of the PDP in Enugu State.
David Umahi – Ebonyi South
The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi will be one of the new faces in the Senate when the 10th Senate is inaugurated in June this year.
The two terms Governor has been declared the winner of Ebonyi South senatorial position.
Declaring the result in Afikpo, headquarters of the zone, Prof. Augustine Ogugua Egwu of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, the returning officer announced that Umahi polled 28, 378 votes to defeat his closest rival, Linus Okorie of the Labour Party, who scored 25, 496 votes.
The incumbent Senator, Michael Nnachi of the Peoples Democratic Party, scored 11, 398 votes.
Darlington Nwokocha – Abia Central
Darlington Nwokocha, a House of Representatives member for Isiala Ngwa North/Isiala Ngwa South Federal Constituency was declared as the winner of the Abia Central Senatorial election.
Nwokocha, who contested on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, defeated his closet rival, Austin Akobundu. Nwokocha will be replacing former governor, Theodore Orji, who had long announced his retirement from active politics after completing his current tenure in office.
Tony Nwoye–Anambra North
In Anambra State, Tony Nwoye, a former House of Reps member, is heading to the Senate for the first time to represent Anambra North constituency after defeating incumbent, Stella Oduah of the PDP. Nwoye ran on the platform of the LP.
Kaduna
The PDP in Kaduna State has recorded a high number of legislators-elect, who will be first time in the Senate.
Besides, the party emerged victorious in the three senatorial districts in the state, comprising Kaduna North, Kaduna Central and Kaduna South.
In Kaduna North, Khalid Sabo will be a green horn in the Senate, with Lawal Adamu Usman (Kaduna Central) and Sunday Marshal Kaltung (Kaduna South).
Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli – Oyo South
Sharafadeen, a lawyer is the former Chairman, Ibadan North Local Government and former Secretary to the Oyo State Government. He also served as the Chief of Staff to former Governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja when he was in office.
A grassroots politician, Ali is known for his mastery of local politics in Oyo State.
Alli,a former Chairman of Odu’a Investment Company defeated Joseph Tegbe and Kolapo Kola-Daisi, both formerly of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), like him.
The Returning officer, Wole Olatokun, a Professor of the department of Data and Information science, University of Ibadan announced that Alli scored a total of 111,513 votes to defeat all other candidates who contested the election while PDP polled 92,481. Accord garnered 33,641.
Yunus Akintunde – Oyo Central
Dr. Yunus Abiodun Akintunde is a former Commissioner in Oyo State. He served as Isiaka Ajimobi’s Works Commissioner.
Akintunde defeated the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Accord Candidate, Engineer Dotun Nurudeen Faozey and other candidates in the February 25 election.
Fadeyi Oluwole Olubiyi – Osun Central
Olubiyi is one of the three newly elected Senatorial candidates in Osun State.
In the last senatorial election, he polled 134,229 votes to defeat the incumbent Senator Ajibola Basiru of the APC. Ajibola is the spokesperson of the 9th Senate.
Olubiyi is not new to the senatorial race. In the 2019 general elections, he was the candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) for Osun Central Senatorial District. He defected to PDP and clinched the senatorial ticket in the state. He is a strategic partner to the Economic European Development Council, Partner to European Market Research Centre, Energy Partner to Europower, Sport Betting Partner to Luckia Gaming SA and Infrastructure Development partner to China Harbour.
He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, London School of Economics (LSE) and Harvard Business School (HBS) and Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS).
Lere Oyewunmi – Osun West
Oyewumi Kamarudeen Olalere of the PDP won the Osun West senatorial election and he was the Director-General of Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign that led to his emergence as the state governor.
He won the election with 138,476 votes for Osun West Senatorial District. He defeated Dr. Amidu Tadese of the APC.
He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. He was an employee of the Federal Civil Service of the Ministry of Education as an Education Officer before he retired and joined politics in 1992.
In Nasarawa State, APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West senatorial zone) and Umaru Al-Makura (Nasarawa South senatorial zone) have lost their senatorial seats to opposition parties.
While Adamu lost to Hon Wadada Aliyu of SDP, Almakura lost his seat to Hon. Onawo Ogoshi of the PDP.
Dr. Samaila Dahuwa (PDP), a former Chairman Bauchi State Hospital Management Board and ex-Commissioner of Health will be representing Bauchi North Senatorial District. He defeated APC contestant, Ibrahim Sirajo Tanko to claim the seat of the incumbent Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa, who did not contest the seat again. He is going to the senate for the first time.
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.
