Oluwole Josiah
About 84 senators of the Peoples Democratic Party may have lost their bid to return to the red chambers on the party's ticket.
Final standings from the outcome of the primaries held across the country showed that a repeat of what happened in 2007, where most of the lawmakers did not return, is likely to happen again. From Adamawa State, Senators Jibril Aminu, Grace Bent and Mohammed Manna were not returned by the party.
The same situation is the case for neighbouring Taraba State where Senators Anthony Manzo and Dahiru Gassol lost out. The third senator, Joel Nkenya, had earlier defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria in the state to run for the governorship.
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None of the senators in Anambra, Kwara and Bauchi states got a ticket to return to the Senate. In Kaduna State, only Senator Ahmed Makarfi made it back, as Caleb Zaghi and Jibril Mohammed were replaced by former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, and ex-Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Yusuf Mairago.
In Rivers, only Wilson Ake scaled through but George Sekibo and Lee Maeba failed to win the primaries. Senators Chris Anyanwu and Sylvester Anyanwu from Imo State lost out before the primaries, as they were on their way to other parties. Osita Izunaso, who was tipped to win his ticket, however, failed to do so.
In Nasarawa State, Abubakar Sodangi lost to a former governor of the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, while the two others, Naomi Akwashiki and Suleiman Adokwe, were returned. The PDP also did not return Eme Ufot-Ekaete and Bob Effiong in Akwa Ibom State, just as Simeon Oduoye also did not make it in Osun State.
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In Benue where President of the Senate, David Mark, emerged successfully, his colleagues, Joseph Akaagerger and George Akume, failed to secure the PDP's tickets. In Cross River, only the Deputy Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, succeeded in the primaries while Bassey Ewa-Henshaw and Gregory Ngaji did not make it.
Senator Hosea Ehinlawo from Ondo State was not fortunate this time while the confusion in the Ogun State chapter raised doubts about the chances of Iyabo Obasanjo and Lekan Mustapha. In Kogi State, Senator Nicholas Ugbane has indicated his interest to become the next governor of the state and so did not seek the senatorial ticket, but Otaru Ohize did not make from Kogi Central, while Smart Adeyemi is still battling to be cleared by the PDP National Secretariat.
Edo State PDP had lost Edobor Uzamere to the Action Congress of Nigeria in the state. He was replaced by Daisy Danjuma. Katsina had also lost Garba Lado to the Congress for Progressive Change while Abubakar Ayuba and Umar Argungu failed to get tickets in Kebbi State.
Although Gbemi Saraki is seeking the governorship seat in Kwara State on a new platform, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, the other two senators from the state, Ahmed Mohammed and Sule Ajibola, could not make it back. In Bayelsa, Senator Nimi-Barigha Amange was not returned by the party while the PDP also replaced Sidi Ali as its candidate for the FCT.
In Gombe State, none of the old senators will return as their tickets were taken by others. Indications from Enugu suggest that the political stalemate in the state would deny all three PDP senators their tickets to return to the Senate on the party's platform.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, as well as Chimaroke Nnamani and Ayogu Eze are representing the state in the Senate and are unlikely to get the tickets. It was gathered that most of the senators who lost their tickets in the PDP were considering moving to other parties to contest the April elections.
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