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

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Politics

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Trends Admin

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Politics

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Trends Admin

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.