Politics

APC retains majority in Senate with 49 seats

Published

2 years ago

March 1, 2023

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has maintained its dominance of the Senate, having secured 49 seats, according to the results of the parliamentary polls so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Out of the 89 seats so far declared, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 28; Labour Party six while New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) secured two seats each.

The Young Progressive Party (YPP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have so far produced one senator each.

With 49 senators, the ruling party is set to maintain majority in the 10th Senate. There are 109 seats in the Red Chamber, made up of three seats per state and one for FCT.

A party with a simple majority produces presiding officers called President of the Senate and Deputy Senate President.

Meanwhile, last Saturday’s parliamentary poll has continued to throw up shocks and upsets as more serving governors were defeated in the election.

Governors Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Ben Ayade (Cross River) lost their bids to represent their senatorial districts in the parliament.

Only two, governors Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) won.

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The result of the Sokoto South senatorial election, which Governor Aminu Tambuwal contested, was declared inconclusive over irregularities, including over-voting.

Aliero floors Bagudu in Kebbi Central

Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero has been declared winner of Kebbi central senatorial election.

The returning officer, Professor Abbas Yusuf, said Senator Aliero of PDP polled 126,588 votes to defeat Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu in the election.

He said Bagudu, who is also Chairman Progressive Governors Forum, scored 92,389 votes.

Lalong trounced in Plateau

The Director-General, DG Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, lost the bid to occupy the Plateau South senatorial seat. He was defeated by retired AVM Napoleon Bali of PDP.

Lalong of APC scored 91,674 while Bali scored 148,844 to emerge the winner.

In Plateau North, PDP’s Simon Mwadkwon polled 155,681 votes to defeat the candidate of APC, Christopher Musa who polled 78,302.

FCT: LP’s Ireti unseats Aduda after 3 terms

Ireti Heeba Kingibe of Labour Party has been declared winner of Saturday’s senatorial election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Kingibe defeated incumbent Senator Philip Aduda of PDP, who was elected into the Senate in 2011.

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She polled 202,175 votes to defeat her main challenger, Aduda, who scored 100,544 votes while APC’s Zakari Angulu secured 78, 905 and candidate of NNPP got 3,802 votes.

Sokoto senatorial poll declared inconclusive

No winner emerged in all three senatorial districts in Sokoto after INEC declared the National Assembly elections in the state inconclusive over violence and overvoting.

Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was leading Senator Ibrahim Danbaba Dambuwa of APC in the Sokoto South senatorial election with 2,050 votes before it was declared inconclusive.

Tambuwal scored 87,850 votes while Dambuwa secured 79,991.

Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko and APC’s leader in the state is so far leading in the Sokoto North senatorial election with 11,732 votes.

Wamakko polled 114,866 votes against the 103,134 votes scored by the candidate of the PDP and incumbent deputy governor of the state, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya.

APC sweeps Kogi senatorial seats, wins 2 in Delta

The ruling APC won all the senatorial seats in Kogi State.

Engineer Abubakar Ohere was declared the winner of the Kogi Central senatorial election, after polling 52,132 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of PDP, who recorded 51,763 votes.

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In Kogi West, Sunday Karimi of APC polled 70,184 votes to defeat his main opponent, Tajudeen Yusuf, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 51,964 votes.

The incumbent Kogi Central senator, Isah Jibrin (APC), was declared winner after polling 108,784 votes being the highest against his closest rival Victor Adoji of PDP, who scored 81,867.

In Delta, the APC candidates, Chief Ede Dafinone and Thomas Joel-Onowakpo, won in the Central and Southern senatorial zones respectively.

Dafinone polled 109,197 votes to defeat his closest rival, Chief Ighoyota Amori (PDP), who scored 101,385.

Joel-Onowakpa polled 49,955 to defeat other candidates, including PDP’s Prince Michael Diden, who scored 47,656.

PDP clears Kaduna, Rivers

The ruling APC lost all the three senatorial seats to PDP in Kaduna State.

Out of the three seats, only Southern Kaduna was previously occupied by PDP.

In Kaduna North, the incumbent senator, Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC), who polled 190,008 votes lost to PDP’s Khalid Ibrahim Mustapha, who secured 260,026 votes.

In Kaduna Central, PDP’s Lawal Adamu Usman, popularly known as (Mr LA), won with over 250,000 votes.

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In Southern Kaduna, Sunday Katung of PDP won with 138,246 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ayuba Michael, of the LP who scored 101,479.

In Rivers, Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East), Barry Mpigi (Rivers South East) and Ipalibo Harry-Banigo (Rivers West), all PDP, won.

Nyako loses as PDP clinches 2 seats in Adamawa

PDP won two Senate seats while the APC got one in Adamawa.

For the Central senatorial zone, Aminu Iya Abbas (PDP), was declared winner, having scored 145,880 votes to defeat Abdulaziz Nyako (APC), who got 118,555.

Senator Binos Yeroe, PDP candidate for Adamawa South won re-election after scoring 146,407 votes to defeat his closest rival, Adamu Samaila Numan of the APC who scored 94,828 votes.

Senator Elisha Abbo, APC candidate in the northern zone polled 71,927 votes to win re-election against PDP’s Yohanna Amos who scored 61,895 votes.

Umeh unseats Ekwunife in Anambra

LP candidate for Anambra Central senatorial district, Victor Umeh, defeated incumbent Senator Uche Ekwunife of PDP.

Umeh polled 103,608, votes to defeat Ekwunife and other candidates.

Daily Trust

Politics

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Politics

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Politics

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.

Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.

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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.