THE battle line has since been drawn between outgoing State governors and serving Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria elected on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as the governors who are rounding off want to leave the comfort of State Government Houses for the three Arm Zone, the Senate.
It has been a lot of political intrigues, manoeuvring, calling of names, tongue lashing as Governors want to dislodge the serving Senators ahead of tomorrow’s Senatorial primary elections where the senatorial candidates would emerge to occupy the 109 senatorial seats across the Country.
Tomorrow, December 7 would be the D- Day, the long waited day when some of the outgoing governors would fight it out with some of the serving senators who by Senate rules are already ranking.
The thirty- five States of the country have three senators each except for the Federal Capital Territory which boasts of only one Senatorial slot.
Of the PDP governors who will be leaving the government house soon, nine of them have indicated interest to come and join the six ex-governors in the senate. They are Godwswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; Theodore Orji of Abia; Babaginda Aliyu Muazu of Niger; Martins Elechi of Ebonyi; Jonah Jang of Plateau; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Sullivan Chime of Enugu.
Orji, Yuguda, Elechi, Babaginda Aliyu, Jang, Uduaghan, Akpabio and Suswam
Yes, they are at present serving governors who enjoy all the paraphernalia of office including the control of their people. While some may have it smooth, interestingly, it may not come to others on a platter of gold as they would sweat it out with the present senator and the people. As state executive officers, they control the state structure, the wealth of the state, state executive, the local government, and in some cases control the three ad-hoc delegates, the 774 local Government National delegates, among others. This places them above others knowing the nature of many Nigerians who may not like the governor, but for sycophancy and survival, they pretend and carry out what ever the governor wants.
The Governors, realising how powerful they are, use the structure to crush any serving Senator in order for them to have easy way of going to the Senate and this explains why Governors have been rushing to come to the red Chambers far back as 2007. Since this year, the it had remained that governors ‘retire’ into the Senate even when age is no longer on their side as we will have tomorrow. In 2007, the former governors in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly were Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima (Zamfara State), Senator Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Senator Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), George Akume of Benue; Ahmed Makaifi of Kaduna State; Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Chimaroke Nnamani, among others. It would be recalled that after the 2011 elections, Senators Saminu Turaki of Jigawa and Chimaroke did not make it back to the upper chambers, leaving about six former governors behind.
In 2011 and at the moment, 10 former governors are presently in the Senate, they are Senators George Akume (Benue North-East), Chris Ngige (Anambra Central), Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central), Ahmed Makarfi (Kadun North) and Abubakar Saraki (Kwara Central). Others are Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Joshua Dariye (Plateau Central), Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe East), Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara North), and Kabiru Gaya (Kano South). Andy Uba is also at the Senate.
Unlike what plays out now, many Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria left the Chambers for the government House. Before now, Senators Cornelius Adebayo (Kwara) and Don. Etiebet (Cross River) had blazed the trail, when they became governors in 1983. In 1999, Senator Bola Tinubu became Lagos State governor. In 2003, Senator Rashidi Ladoja became the governor of Oyo State. Also Senator Oserheimen Osunbor was also there as governor in Edo State. Now, Senators Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), and Liyel Imoke (Cross River) are governors.
Many things will count tomorrow, ranging from how far the governor performed, but if that would serve as a yardstick to getting the ticket and the primaries conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, many governors may not get the ticket to run for a Councillor office. It is equally so for some senators who are battling to return but who do not even deserve to be councillors , just as it will not be the first for someone from the government house to become a councillor representing his ward as a former Benue Deputy Governor tested his popularity at the ward; some of the outgoing PDP governors should go and let there be option A4, the story would be told.
Another thing that will count would be how the outgoing governor may have played with the psyche of the people with plans to influence who succeeds him his successor and still want to come to the Senate, the people will revolt tomorrow if true primaries will be conducted.
Some of the governors like their predecessors now see the Senate as the next political environment after eight years in their respective states. While some may like to continue genuine service to the people there are those who just go there for some kind of protection.
Ahead of 2015 general elections, the ruling PDP has fixed its senatorial primaries for tomorrow, December 8.
In Benue State for instance, governor, Gabriel Suswan whose two tenures as governor will end in May next year and from the Benue North, Zone A of the state wants to be the next senator. Tomorrow, it will be a big fight between him and the present occupant of the seat and former National Chairman of PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade .
Gemade
Already, the governor has received a number of endorsements for the senate project by key political stakeholders in the zone. For instance, the PDP elders in the Benue North recently announced the endorsement of the governor for the senatorial seat. The PDP zonal leader, Atodza Ihidan, who announced the endorsement at a reception for Suswam explained that having served the people well at the National Assembly and as governor, the elders hoped Suswan would do well at the senate. They have even gone further to purchase forms for him.
But Gemade is not giving up in the struggle as he had said it severally that he would defeat Suswam at the primaries. Gemade who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on national planning has sounded it loud and clear that he would not chicken out of the race.
Also in Akwa Ibom, governor Godswwill Akpabio who is also the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum wants to dislodge the incumbent Senator, Senator Aloysius Etok for the Eket Senatorial District. This will be a big fight tomorrow as Senator Etok who is his second term and not ready to relinquish the seat for Akpabio who as Governor Akpabio would use his influence, his wealth to snatch the PDP ticket from the incumbent senator.
In Abia, Governor Theodore Orji has already dislodged the present senator who represents Abia Central, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu because the governor was the only cleared aspirant for the position. Senator Nwaogu is one of the governorship aspirants for the state.
In Delta State, the fight for the soul of Delta South is between Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the current Senator, James Manager. Manager who has been in the senate since 2003, making him one of the longest serving senators is poised to a big fight with the governor to come back. Tomorrow, the Delta South slot is going to be interesting as Senator Manager is not too willing to go down without giving it a fight and with the political mathematics on ground following the bickering from the governorship slot, the struggle to come to the senate may not be easy for the governor like his other colleagues in other states.
In Enugu State, Governor Sullivan Chime wants to take over the Enugu West Senatorial seat that is occupied presently by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who is the number 5 in the country. The fight between the two has begun and has consumed many big wigs including the former deputy governor, Sunday Onyebuchi said to be an ally of the deputy senate president.
Ekweremadu: Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament
But with what happened during the Congresses, Ekweremadu has taken over the structure of the party in the state. The governor has been given the opportunity to produce his successor, it is like a case of saying, leave the senate fight, you cannot have two things at the same time. And knowing that Ekweremade has upper hand the governor has yielded to the said understanding.
In Plateau, there will be no serious fight as Jonah Jang will swap the position with the current senator and his former Chief of Staff to Jang, Senator Gyang Pwajok.
Pwajok who is from Plateau North with Jang is being rumoured as the preferred candidate for the 2015 governorship slot that the present governor would swap positions with. While Jang is going to the Senate at 70, Pwajok who is from his senatorial district will be going to the government house.
In Niger state, Governor Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu who is the current chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum has already declared his intention to retire to the senate at the end of his tenure as the governor to represent his people in Niger East Senatorial District. He may be replacing senator Nuhu Zagbayi who won the August bye election to replace late Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta.
In Bauchi state, governor Isa Yuguda, like his colleagues, wants to remove the serving senator, Senator Adamu Gumba to serve the Bauchi South Senatorial District and represent his people. As the governor of the state, it will not be a difficult task for him tomorrow to dislodge the incumbent Senator.
In Ebonyi State, the case is not different as Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State like his colleagues wants to go for the senate to represent Ebonyi Central. With the present happenings in the state following complaints about the last congresses by the governor, it may be difficult for him. The incumbent senator, Senator Igwe Nwagu does not want to let go and as a consummate politician who has been in politics since 1999, climbing the ladder from the ward Councilor to become a senator, it
Senator Nkechi Nwaogu
will be a hard one for Elechi.
In Bayelsa State, though he is not rounding off as governor and he is not coming to the Senate, But Governor Henry Seriake Dickson wants to have his men in the senate by ensuring that the present three senators, Heineken Lokpobiri; Emmanuel Paulker and Clever Ikisikpo do not return, but these are President Goodluck Jonathan’s men.
As the battle takes place tomorrow between the governors and the serving senators, we watch a events unfold.
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