Although no law in the Nigerian Constitution precludes them from contesting to be senators, the National Assembly now seems to be a retirement home for outgoing and former governors.
In the current National Assembly, whose life will expire on June 11, 2023, there are 14 former governors serving as senators representing districts from the north and south of the country.
While some of the serving senators who are ex-governors lost out in the recently concluded primary elections of their political parties, some who are about to finish their tenure as the chief executive officers of their respective states have won tickets to participate in the 2023 senatorial elections.
In fact, some former governors currently serving as senators who failed to get a return ticket in the APC have defected to other parties to bag their tickets. A typical example is former Kebbi governor, Adamu Aliero, who flipped over to the PDP to pick its ticket for Kebbi Central.
Unlike state governors whose tenure in office has a constitutional limit of eight years, four years per term, which is renewable, senators have no limit of terms.
Several political analysts say former governors have now made it a tradition to retire to the senate to remain relevant within the loop of power. Which explains why they do everything legally possible, and even extra-legal, to win a ticket to the senate.
After the recent primary elections of the various political parties in the country, PREMIUM TIMES found that 28 past and serving governors may well return as either fresh or returnees, as senators in the 10th senate.
There are 109 senators in the Nigerian Senate, including the Senate President. If all of the 28 former governors and soon-to-be- ex-governors get elected to the 10th Senate, it means a quarter of the senators will be former governors, a number that can form a conspicuous forum in the senate!
Ex-governors who may be fresh senators
Adams Oshiomhole
He is a former two-term governor of Edo State and once served as the National President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, a position that shot him into national prominence.
Besides being a former governor, he is also a former national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was eyeing the nation's number one job - president - until he emerged as the candidate of the APC for Edo North Senatorial District.
His emergence forced the incumbent senator, Francis Alimikhena, a former political associate of Mr Oshiomhole, to flee to the PDP to find succour. And he did find succour in his new tent because he won the PDP ticket for the district. He will slug it out with Mr Oshiomhole in 2023.
If elected, Mr Oshiomhole will be a first-term senator, which may keep him in the background going by the convention of the senate. Mr Oshiomhole may, however, become a prominent member, being a vocal voice, and could serve as a principal officer of the senate if Bola Tinubu is elected as the President.
Dave Umahi
The outgoing two-term governor of Ebonyi State participated in the APC presidential primaries where he polled 38 votes to come a distant sixth in the election won by the former Lagos State governor, Mr Tinubu.
Mr Umahi now holds the APC ticket for Ebonyi South, a ticket initially held in trust for him by his younger brother, Austin, who had won the first primaries conducted by the party and monitored by INEC.
After Mr Umahi's failed presidential bid, the APC cancelled the previous primaries and rescheduled another one which the governor won.
Aminu Tambuwal
He is not new to the National Assembly having been a member of the Green Chamber in the past which culminated in his election as the Speaker of the 7th House of Representatives during his third term in the House.
However, if elected in the February 2023 National Assembly elections, he would be a fresh senator representing Sokoto South on the platform of the PDP.
He is going to square up against Ibrahim Danbaba, the incumbent senator representing the district, who recently defected from the PDP to the APC.
Mr Tambuwal was elected governor of Sokoto State in 2015 on the platform of the APC but was re-elected in 2019 on the ticket of the PDP following his defection in 2018.
Mr Tambuwal had participated in the PDP presidential primaries of 2018 where he came second to the winner, Atiku Abubakar.
He also recently participated in the 2022 presidential primaries though he stepped down at the tail end to support Atiku Abubakar, who emerged as the winner, beating Governor Nyesom Wike, who came second.
Darius Ishaku
The outgoing governor of Taraba State, if elected, will be serving as a senator for the first time on the ticket of the PDP.
He, as expected, easily won the ticket of the ruling party in the state for Taraba South.
Bar all odds, he is expected to win the main election, PDP being the dominant party in the state.
From all indications, the architect-turned politician, going by his antecedents, will most likely be a quiet, inconspicuous senator enjoying his retirement from gubernatorial duties, if elected.
Samuel Ortom
Like Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Governor Ortom, on the last lap of his gubernatorial tenure in Benue, was elected governor of the state in 2015 under the APC but defected to the PDP in 2018 where he was re-elected in 2019.
Mr Ortom, a former minister and ex-official of the PDP, will be a fresh senator representing Benue North-West if he wins the 2023 election. He won the primaries as a consensus candidate.
Okezie Ikpeazu
Governor Ikpeazu of Abia State, if elected senator in 2023, will simply be following in the footsteps of his predecessors who are current senators.
Mr Ikpeazu, a PhD holder, currently has the PDP ticket for Abia South, and is expected to win the election, other things being equal.
If he wins, and Orji Kalu also wins, it means that two former governors of the state will be serving as senators in the 10th senate. It is the same scenario in the 9th senate with Mr Kalu and Theodore Orji both ex-governors of the state serving.
Abubakar Sani Bello
The outgoing two-term governor of Nigeria State wants to represent Niger North under the APC from 2023.
The incumbent senator, Aliyu Abdullahi, who is in his second term in the Senate, failed to win the ticket of the party for the third term. He came a distant second to Mr Bello in the primary of the party.Ibrahim Danwkambo
The immediate past two-term governor of Gombe State attempted to come to the senate in 2019 after his tenure but lost the election to the incumbent senator for Gombe North, Seidu Akali of the APC.
With the ticket of the PDP in his kitty, having won the primary, Mr Dankwambo, a former accountant-general of the federation, will make an attempt again in the 2023 election to be elected a senator, though it appears the state is firmly in the hands of the APC.
Abdulaziz Yari
Abdulaziz Yari would have been in the senate since 2019 but for the judicial nullification of all the primary elections of the APC in Zamfara State. The implication of this was that all the victories polled by the APC in the 2019 general elections were ceded to the PDP which came second, based on the Supreme Court ruling.
At the height of the crisis rocking the APC in the state, Mr Yari almost ditched the party for the opposition.
Some political observers in the state attribute his APC senate ticket for Zamfara West to be part of the rapprochement deals from Governor Bello Matawalle to make the former governor stay put in the party.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
On the last lap of his gubernatorial stint in the Coal City, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, like a lot of his governor colleagues, is also seeking a new life in the Senate on the platform of the PDP.
His winning the ticket for Enugu North barely caused any rumpus in the PDP, as the incumbent senator representing the zone, Chukuwka Utazi, did not purchase a form to participate in the primaries as 'a mark of respect for Governor Ugwuanyi.
It does not seem the governor will lose the main election come February 2023.
First elected into the House of Representatives in 2003 to represent Igboeze North/Udenu Federal Constituency, Mr Ugwuanyi, was also re-elected in 2007 and 2011, before his election as Enugu Governor in 2015.
Simon Lalong
The outgoing governor of Plateau State is not new to legislative responsibilities as he once served as a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly and was even elected as the Speaker during the Joshua Dariye administration.
With the APC Plateau South ticket in the bag for the lawyer-turned politician, he may be playing on the big stage as a lawmaker in the Red Chamber come 2023Gbenga Daniel
Gbenga Daniel will be reactivating his political career after a lull playing at the periphery, following the end of his tenure as the chief helmsman of Ogun State in 2011.
Since the end of his reign as governor, he was in political limbo until recently when he moved to the APC from the PDP. And it seems, so far, the power brokers in the party still need his services, hence his recent reward with the APC ticket for Ogun East.
He is close to the incumbent governor of the state, Dapo Abiodun, also seeking re-election for a second term, and they both come from the same district.
Except the unexpected happens, Mr Daniel will be in the Red Chamber as a freshman senator in 2023, especially as the PDP in Ogun is still battling an internal crisis.
Former governors who may be returnee senators in 2023
Aliyu Wammako
Aliyu Wammako, a former two-term governor of Sokoto State, is the undisputed leader of the APC in the state.
Quiet and sometimes inconspicuous, yet he is no pushover in the politics of the North-west state.
First elected as a senator in 2015 and re-elected in 2019, bar all odds, he will yet return as a third-term senator in 2023 to represent Sokoto Central, which comprises eight local council areas.
Though the ruling party in the state is PDP, the APC is also firmly rooted there, largely due to the leadership Mr Wammako is offering the party in the state.
Kabiru Gaya
A Third Republic Governor of Kano State, Kabiru Gaya is seeking to be a fourth-time senator in 2023 to represent Kano South
He is unassuming but can also be strategic in his political calculations. He was one of the major canvassers who marshalled support for the presidential ambition of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, against the governor of the state, Umar Ganduje, who supported Bola Tinubu, who eventually emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC.
The politics of the state is currently fluid due to the internal crises in the APC and the PDP and the emergence of a formidable third force, NNPP, led by a former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, an influential politician in the state.
Chimaroke Nnamani
Chimaroke Nnamani, governor of Enugu State between 1999 and 2007, seems to have got his political career back following his re-election into the senate in 2019 under the PDP to represent Enugu East
He was in the senate between 2007 and 2011 shortly after his tenure as governor but failed to return following his estrangement with his former protege, Sullivan Chime, who took over the leadership of the state from him in 2007.
Following their parting of ways, Mr Nnamani found it difficult to survive in the PDP until Mr Chime ended his tenure in 2015 and later moved over to the APC.
In 2019, Mr Nnamani re-emerged in the senate to represent Enugu East. He may as well come back in 2023 because he already has the ticket for the party in his bag for the district.
Also, his political creation, the Ebeano family, seems to be on the upward swing again as his former chief of staff, Peter Mba, is the gubernatorial flag bearer of the PDP for the 2023 elections.
Umar Al-makura
He made an attempt recently to quit the senate for the national chairmanship of the APC but failed in his bid.
Another former senator from the state, Abdullahi Adamu, emerged the surprise winner of the contest, believed to have been made possible by the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari.
First elected as a senator in 2019, Mr Almakura looks certain to return in 2023 as a senator on the platform of the APC to continue to represent Nasarawa South.
Danjuma Goje
Danjuma Goje finished his tenure as the governor of Gombe State in 2011 and has since been in the senate heading various committees, representing Gombe Central.
An APC member, he is most likely to return as a senator for the fourth term in 2023, having reconciled with the incumbent governor, Inuwa Yahaya, with whom he had political differences in the recent past.
Orji Kalu
A former two-term governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, current Senate Chief Whip, may come back again in 2023 as a second-term senator, representing Abia North.
Though the PDP is the ruling party in the state and still very formidable as an election-winning party in the state, Mr Kalu seems to have devised a way of winning elections despite the hurdles of being in the opposition.Will 2023 be like 2019 for the APC senator?
Kashim Shettima
Brilliant and articulate, Kashim Shettima, an ex-governor of Borno State, is firmly in charge of the APC in the state and enjoys a robust relationship with the current governor, Babagana Zulum.
Except if he gets a higher calling, like he is being tipped as running mate to Mr Tinubu, Mr Shettima looks solid and set to return to the senate again in 2023 to continue representing Borno Central Senatorial district.
Ibrahim Gaidam
Quiet and easy-going, Ibrahim Gaidam is Yobe APC and by extension, Yobe State, where he has the spectacular credit of being the longest-serving governor of the state - ten years - to date. He looks set to return to the senate for the second term in 2023 to continue representing Yobe East.
Seriake Dickson
Popularly called the 'contriman governor', Seriake Dickson looks set to return to the senate in 2023 as a second termer. This is after his stint as a two-term governor of Bayelsa State on the platform of the PDP.
He was first elected to the senate in the October 2020 by-election for Bayelsa West. The seat became vacant after the occupant was sworn in as the state's deputy governor.
Before his election as the governor of the oil-rich state, he had served as a member of the House of Representatives in the sixth Green Chambers.
Saminu Turaki
2023 will be a decisive moment for Saminu Turaki, a former governor of Jigawa State, who has been out of political circulation for a while.
Mr Turaki, who was first elected senator in 2007, may stage a comeback to the political limelight again in 2023 if he wins in the general elections.
He sojourned for a while in the APC, the ruling party in the state, before making his way to the PDP where he emerged unopposed as the party's candidate for Jigawa North-west recently.
He is currently standing trial over an allegation of N32 billion fraud he allegedly perpetrated during his period as governor.
Gabriel Suswan
Gabriel Suswan served in the House of Representatives for two terms from where he proceeded to be governor of Benue State for two consecutive terms.
He attempted to come to the senate in 2015 after his gubernatorial stint but lost to Barnabas Gemade who contested under the APC. In 2019, he won on the platform of the PDP to represent Benue North-east. He is seeking re-election for the second term in 2023.
Ibrahim Shekarau
A two-term governor of Kano State, from 2003 to 2011, Ibrahim Shekarau seeks to return to the senate for the second term on the platform of the NNPP.
Mr Shekarau, who currently represents Kano Central in the 9th Senate, had defected to the NNPP from the APC due to some internal wranglings in the latter.
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The NNPP is a brainchild of another former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, with whom he used to tango politically in the past.
His combination with Mr Kwankwaso, who is running for president, may sway the senate election in the direction of Mr Shekarau.
The APC's ticket for Kano Central is held by a senatorial newbie, Abdulsalam Zaura, backed by the outgoing governor of the state, Umar Ganduje.
Adamu Aliero
Adam Aliero was essentially a strong political force in Kebbi State where he was governor, until recently when he had issues with the current governor, Atiku Bagudu, which precipitated his loss in the APC primary for Kebbi Central.
Mr Aliero, a former minister of the FCT, has since defected to the PDP to try his luck again in the 2023 elections.
He currently holds the PDP ticket for Kebbi Central, though there is another claimant, Haruna Saidu, who had earlier won the PDP primary supervised by INEC. It remains to be seen who will be recognised by INEC. Even at that, the eventual rightful owner of the ticket may be decided by the court in the long run, if there's no amicable resolution of the dispute between the parties involved.
If Mr Aliero wins, he will be returning to the Senate for the fourth time, thus, making him one of the longest-serving in the state.
Sam Egwu
Sam Egwu will be returning to the senate as a third-term senator if elected in 2023 to continue representing Ebonyi North.
Mr Egwu, a former two-term governor of Ebonyi State on the platform of the PDP, also once served as a minister of education in the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
Although the ruling party in the state is APC under the leadership of Governor Dave Umahi, who is also contesting to be a senator, Mr Egwu, an ex-university teacher, is projected to win based on the relative strength of the PDP in the state and his own grassroots popularity, though he won the primaries conducted by a faction of the party loyal to him.
Mr Umahi is, however, believed to be doing everything possible to deliver the entire state to the APC, a party he embraced after he had won his re-election in 2019 on the platform of the PDP.
Atiku Bagudu
He's one of the northern governors in the APC who insisted that the party must cede its presidential ticket to the southern part of the country.
Other things being equal, he may be coming to the Senate on the platform of the party. However, his emergence as the winner of the ticket for Kebbi Central and his management of the party in the state has further polarised the party, which led to the exit of some bigwigs, including Mr Aliero, who have since embraced the opposition in the state.
Mr Bagudu will be returning to the senate for the third term if he wins in the 2023 election. He was first elected to the senate in 2009 at a bye-election to pick a replacement for Mr Aliero who was then appointed a minister by the late President Umaru Musa Yar'dua.
He won again in 2011, defeating Mr Aliero who contested on the platform of the defunct CPC. He moved to the APC and became the governor of the state on its platform in 2015.
Godswill Akpabio
The immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, returned to pick the Akwa Ibom North-west senatorial ticket for the APC after his failed presidential mission.
As things stand, controversy surrounds the ticket because it is believed the faction of the party that conducted the primaries where he emerged is not recognised by the law, although INEC reportedly monitored the election.
Nevertheless, in the list of winners of the APC for various senatorial districts in the country, the party submitted the name of Mr Akpabio against Udom Ekpoudom, a retired Deputy Inspector General of the police, who had earlier won the APC primary conducted by another faction of the party.
Mr Akpabio was first elected to the senate in 2015 on the platform of the PDP but failed to return in the 2019 election after crossing over to the APC in a surprise move.
