Intrigues as govs, senators engage in swap contest As the 2015 general elections draw near, many second term governors have declared their intention to contest for Senatorial seats amid tough opposition from serving senators, Fisayo Falodi writesSome state governors and senators are desperate to swap elective offices in the 2015 general elections for the purpose of remaining in the corridors of power.While the governors are seeking to represent their senatorial districts after the constitutional two terms limit of their tenure, some senators are hoping to succeed them.Pundits, who have been watching the development closely, described it as a stock in trade of many Nigerian politicians who will do everything to remain relevant politically.In what political analysts have likened to demanding retirement benefits for themselves, the governors are believed to be doing everything to achieve their dreams, including using their closeness to the Presidency to engage the occupants of the eyed senatorial seats in serious battle to achieve their aims.Some of the governors, analysts said, had ensured that their stooges got elected as senators to represent their districts to make it easier to succeed them.The urge by governors to seek election into the Senate began in 2007 when many of them who were elected in 1999 served out their second term in office. Then, former Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Adamu Aliero, was elected to represent Kebbi Central Senatorial District after he served two terms in office as governor.The current Senate has 10 former governors in its fold, including Bukola Saraki (Kwara), George Akume (Benue); Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Shaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe) and Ahmad Rufai Sani Yerima (Zamfara).Saraki contested and won election into Kwara Central Senatorial District in 2011 to replace his biological sister, Gbemisola Saraki, who was elected to represent the senatorial district in 2007. Gbemisola had attempted, with the support of her late father, Dr. Olusola Saraki, to succeed Bukola in 2011 as the state governor, but she failed to realise her ambition as she was denied the PDP governorship ticket. She later defected to the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria to contest in the governorship poll, but lost to the PDP candidate, Mr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, who many believe, is Bukola’s stooge.The current Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, is also involved in a serious battle to replace the senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.Chime is currently serving his second term as the governor and his senatorial ambition was said to have triggered off cold relationship between him and Ekweremadu. Supporters of the two gladiators, as expected, have become sworn enemies all in a bid to ensure that their principals get the PDP senatorial ticket.Governor Martin Elechi, who is also currently serving his second term, is not left in the race for the senatorial seat as he declared not long ago that he would contest for the Ebonyi Central Senatorial seat.Elechi declared his ambition to contest for the senatorial seat at the 34th state executive council meeting of the PDP in Abakaliki. He said he accepted to contest following consultation and pleas from major stakeholders in the senatorial district.Many other governors elected on the PDP platform, who will round off their term in office on May 29, 2015, were said to be eyeing senatorial seats in their various states. Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State last year during a retreat in Uyo announced his intention to replace the current senator representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, Alloysius Etok, in 2015.Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is to engage Senator James Manager in a serious battle over the Delta South Senatorial seat. Manager, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on the Niger Delta, is a close associate of President Goodluck Jonathan, and he is said to be using his relationship with the President to get the PDP return ticket.Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State had on February 16, 2014 declared his intention to run for the Senate during a civic reception jointly organised in his honour by the people of Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South local government areas.He had said, “For some time now, there has been much pressure from different groups, communities, individuals and organisations that I should run for the Senate. Since this is coming from my people, I have no choice than to accept the demand.”Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State are also working round the clock to win elections into the Senate next year.But Benue State Governor, Chief Gabriel Suswam, may meet stiff opposition even within the PDP to achieve his senatorial ambition. There is already an intense battle between Suswam and the senator currently representing Benue North-East, Barnabas Gemade, as the governor is seeking to replace the former PDP national chairman in the National Assembly next year.Suswam, who spoke at a special thanksgiving service organised for him at the NKST Church, Ugba in Logo Local Government Area of the state, said he was compelled to run for the senatorial seat after several months of prompting by his kinsmen.He had said, “For a long time, people have been calling on me to formally declare for the Senatorial seat because they said that it would not be in their interest that I should finish my tenure as governor and remain idle. That is why I have come to my immediate constituency to tell the people that I have finally decided to run for the Senate in line with their wish.”But Gemade expressed the confidence that he would floor Suswam in a contest for the PDP ticket. The former PDP national chairman believes that it will be impossible for the governor to defeat him in the party’s forthcoming primary.Gemade had told journalists when he purchased his nomination form at the PDP secretariat in Abuja that he was not afraid of facing Suswam, adding that he had faced similar challenges in the past, but emerged victorious.He had said, “Many people have come to me and asked if I could stand the governor. I said of course, I have stood many before. I will stand this one too.”In Plateau State, Governor Jonah Jang and the senator representing Plateau North, Gyang Pwajok, may swap as it was once rumoured that the senator is keeping the seat in trust for Jang. Both of them are said to be nursing the ambition of contesting in the 2015 general elections.Jang, who turned 70 recently, may bow to pressure by some of his political associates to contest in the poll, but Pwajok, who was said to have been endorsed by Jang, had openly declared his intention to succeed the governor.He had said, “People say I have received the blessing of Governor Jang to be the next governor in 2015. But let me say that it is not Jang’s blessing; it is a divine endorsement for a bigger mandate in Plateau State.“At the moment, I have the mandate of the people of my zone whom I am currently representing at the Senate for the last two years, but now I have got a sort of encouragement by key leaders in the state, including Governor Jang to seek a higher office.”Governors Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State and Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi State, like their colleagues, are also warming up for the major battle to represent their respective senatorial districts next year.Even the current Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope Adefulire, has declared her interest in representing Lagos West Senatorial District next year. Her posters, as expected of a person who means business, have flooded strategic locations in the senatorial district.She plans to replace Senator Ganiyu Olarenwaju Solomon, who has declared his intention to succeed the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, next year.Some of the governors may, however, need to work hard to realise their ambitions as the current occupants of their preferred seats are not likely to surrender easily.As zealous as the governors have been going about their senatorial ambition, analysts believe many of them are considering election into the senate as a form of compensation or retirement benefit.An elder statesman and former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, believes those with robust experience should seek election into the Senate among the governors.He said, “The governors have the right to seek election into the Senate; I don’t see anything wrong in their ambition, but they should avail the country the benefit from their experience. They should prove this with robust debate on issues that will move Nigeria forward.”The elder statesman, however, blamed the perceived desperation for the senate seat by some of the governors on Nigeria’s political system which seems to have failed to regulate politicians’ activities.Prof. Solomon Akinboye of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Lagos, believes that a few of the governors who have performed well with empirical evidence may replicate their performance in terms of contribution to robust lawmaking process if elected into the Senate.He said, “Intellectual capability is another factor that must be considered. Lawmaking requires painstaking analysis of issue and debate, so, those who have the capacity can seek election into the Senate.”Akinboye, however, agreed that some of the governors might be seeking election into the Senate because of their intention to stay close to power.“Of course, they want to keep themselves close to power because once they have tasted power, they will not want to relinquish it,” he said.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 10:43:15 +0000
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