In the build up to the 2019 general elections, some senators and members of the House of Representatives, mainly those of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), left their folds to look for brighter chances elsewhere, while a number of them that remain in their parties eye higher political offices.
In the Senate there are at least 10 senators that first won elections to the Red Chamber on the platform of other political parties, but they defected to different political parties where they now seek reelection to the upper chamber.
Such senators include Senate President Bukola Saraki, Godswill Akpabio, Shehu Sani, Isa Hamma Misau, Dino Melaye, Suleiman Nazif Gamawa, Barnabas Gemade, Fatima Raji-Razaki, Monsurat Sunmonu and Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba.
There are also at least eight senators that are gunning for governorship in their respective states. While five of them have won their tickets, three of them still have pending cases in their states.
Those that won the governorship tickets so far are Jerry Husseini (PDP, Plateau), Sunny Ogbouji (APC, Ebonyi), John Owan-Enoh (APC, C/River), Usman Bayero Nafada (PDP, Gombe) and Abdulaziz Murtala Nyako (ADC, Adamawa). Those whose cases are still not clear are Kabiru Garba Marafa (APC, Zamfara), Magnus Abe (APC, Rivers) and Hope Uzodinma (APC, Imo).
Bukola Saraki (PDP, Kwara)
Saraki, who had joined the then opposition APC in 2014, recently rejoined his former party, the PDP. After serving as a two-term governor in Kwara State under PDP, Saraki contested for the Senate and won in 2011 under the same party.
However, during the 2015 elections, he came to the Senate under APC, but he defected back to the PDP last August. He contested for the PDP presidential ticket during the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt three weeks ago albeit unsuccessfully. He was then given his return ticket to the Senate, without any squabble.
Being the one that calls the shots in the Kwara politics, it is believed that he would have it easy as usual to win the Kwara Central Senate seat once more despite the inroads that the APC is making in the state. As a matter of fact, some believe it will be a walkover for Saraki.
Godswill Akpabio (APC, A/Ibom)
Akpabio, who served as a two-term governor of Akwa Ibom State, was until August 7, the Minority Leader of the Senate under PDP. Even before becoming governor, Akpabio had served as a commissioner in the state for eight years.
But he decided to join the APC, saying he did so in the best interest of his people. He easily picked the APC ticket to return to the Senate.
Coming from a state believed to be one of the strongholds of the PDP, analysts say Akpabio may find it difficult to win his reelection to represent Akwa Ibom West.
However, others are of the opinion that being a political heavyweight who knows his onions, he could easily win during the National Assembly elections.
Shehu Sani (PRP, Kaduna)
Shehu Sani was until last week a member of the APC. He was one of the APC senators that were initially believed to be planning to move to the PDP. But when 14 APC senators left the party for the PDP, Sani was not one of them.
The comrade senator was said to be one of those that the APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole promised to reward with automatic tickets. He almost clinched it when the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) initially disqualified four other aspirants to pave way for him.
However, they were later cleared and primary election held in Kaduna, where Sani was defeated, though he boycotted the exercise. In the end, Sani was knocked out and the name of Uba Sani, who enjoys the backing of Governor Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai, was submitted to the electoral umpire.
Sani, out of protest, defected to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) last week and is expected to fly the party’s ticket for Kaduna Central. But he faces an uphill task with Uba Sani and PDP’s Lawal in the contest.
Isa Hamma Misau (PDP, Bauchi)
Isa Hamma Misau, a former police officer, was first elected to the Senate in 2015 under the platform of the APC. But things fell apart between him and his state governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, so much so that they have been at loggerheads.
While still in APC, he became very critical of the APC-led government at both state and federal levels. So, when 14 APC senators ditched the party to the PDP on July 24, Misau was one of them.
He is now the PDP standard bearer for Bauchi Central. But his major challenge is how to overcome the popularity of APC in Bauchi and win during the general elections.
Suleiman Nazif Gamawa (PDP, Bauchi)
Gamawa, just like Misau, came to the Senate in 2015 under APC. Though not new to both the Senate and House of Reps, having previously served in both chambers, Nazif now faces perhaps one of the biggest political challenges of his life.
He also parted ways with his governor not long after winning election in 2015 and joined the PDP on July 24 as well. He was given the party’s ticket for Bauchi North without any hassle.
Being from Bauchi, a state believed to be a stronghold of APC, it is believed that Gamawa will have to put extra political efforts to return to the Senate under PDP.
Dino Melaye (PDP, Kogi)
Melaye, often seen as audacious, was formerly in the PDP before joining APC at the formative stages of the party. A former member of the House of Reps, Melaye won election to the Senate under APC.
But soon after becoming a senator, he fell apart with the APC, especially his state governor, Yahaya Bello, and even the federal government. He often lampooned the party, as though he wasn’t its member.
Even before rejoining PDP, many Nigerians saw it in Melaye that he was going “back home.” When it became practically impossible for him to reconcile with the APC, he left the party on July 24.
He now flies the PDP Senate ticket for Kogi West, and he will be slugging it out with a former senator, Smart Adeyemi, the man he defeated in 2015.
Barnabas Gemade (SDP, Benue)
Gemade, a former national chairman of the PDP, was of the APC during the 2015 elections and until July 24 this year when he joined some of his colleagues to move to the PDP.
Surprisingly, about a month after he joined the PDP, he made another movement, this time around to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), having realized that picking the PDP return ticket would be an impossibility for him with former governor Gabriel Suswam in the contest.
He now flies the SDP ticket, but analysts say it will be difficult for him to defeat Suswam this time around, having defeated the former governor to clinch the Benue Northeast senatorial seat in 2015.
Fatima Raji-Razaki (APC, Ekiti)
Raji-Razaki was of the PDP until sometime this year when the relationship between her and former governor Ayo Fayose became sour.
She did not only join the APC but also picked its senatorial ticket for Ekiti Central. Now that the popularity of APC is soaring in the state, it is believed that she could win and return to the Senate.
Monsurat Sunmonu (ADC, Oyo)
Monsurat Sunmonu, formerly of the APC, joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after her fallout with Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
She joined the ADC, promoted by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, hoping that she could return to the Senate under her new political party.
She picked the party’s ticket successfully, but analysts say she may find it difficult to win her seat back.
Ibrahim Abdullahi Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto)
Danbaba represents Sokoto South. Though he won election in 2015 under APC, he ditched the party on July 24.
It is believed that his defection to the PDP was as a result of a silent war between him and Sen Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, a former governor of the state.
He was given the PDP ticket to the Senate automatically, and will now have to go an extra mile to win again in a state where APC is said to be enjoying massive support, even with Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as governor under PDP.
As for senators that decided to test their political worth by gunning for governorship, the likes of Jerry Useni and Bayero Nafada are said to be having high chances of winning in Plateau and Gombe, respectively.
While Useni’s chances are said to be due to the dislike for the APC in Plateau State where Simon Lalong holds sway, Nafada enjoys the support of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.
As for John Owan-Enoh, Abdulaziz Nyako and Sunny Ogbouji, it is believed that they will have to work harder to defeat the incumbent governors in their states.
Also, Marafa, it is believed, if given the APC ticket for Zamfara, he is most likely to emerge winner due to the massive grassroots support he enjoys. As a matter of fact, some say even if he leaves the APC and joins another political party, the people of the state will still vote him massively.
The same obtains for Hope Uzodinma in Imo State, while the case of Abe in Rivers State is said to be an uphill task.
In the House of Reps, on 24 July, 37 members elected under the platform of APC dumped the party over what they called ‘victimization’ and ‘criminalization of divergent views within the APC fold.
Of the 37 defectors, 33 pitched their tent with the PDP, while the remaining four joined the ADC.
Given that politics is largely a game of interest, the defectors obviously hoped to seek greener pasture.
Among the 33 defectors that joined the PDP were Razak Atunwa (Kwara), Aliyu Madaki (Kano), Hassan Saleh (Benue), Mark Gbillah (Benue), Aliyu Pategi (Kwara), Aminu Shagari (Sokoto), Abdulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto), Emmanuel Oker-Jev (Benue), Nasir Garo (Kano).
Others are Zakari Mohammed (Kwara), Tope Olayuonu (Kwara), Dickson Tarkighir (Benue), Bode Ayorinde (Ondo), Ali Madaki (Kano).
The four lawmakers who defected from the APC to the ADC are all from Oyo State, namely Taiwo Akintola, Olufemi Samson, Sunday Adepoju and Wole Olasupo.
They have since picked the party’s return tickets, and are believed to be popular enough to emerge victorious, especially with the crisis bedeviling APC in Oyo State.
Also, Aliyu Madaki picked the PDP Senate ticket for Kano Central to slug it out with former governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, while all the Sokoto reps that joined PDP got their return tickets, all of whom will be slugging it out with other candidates.
Some of the APC defectors in the House are seeking for higher political offices. They include Emmanuel Orker-Jev (PDP, Benue, Senate) and Zakari Mohammed (PDP, Kwara, Senate).
On the other hand, Razak Atunwa (PDP, Kwara) and Davematics Ombugadu (PDP, Nasarawa) won the PDP governorship tickets in their states, while Sunday Marshall Katung (PDP, Kaduna) is his party’s governorship running mate in his state.
This is even as 252 out of the 360 members of the House (70 percent) could not secure return tickets during the recently conducted primaries with some of the defectors as part of them.
It was gathered that a lot of the reps that lost their return tickets are planning to join other political parties, hoping that the names of those that have already secured tickets in those parties would be substituted with theirs.
