In this third part of our series on Composition of the Tenth National Assembly, we spotlight the oldest lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly (based on age).
READ ALSO: 10TH NASS: Composition of the Nigerian Senate | Parties, Ex-Governors and Deputies
The election of lawmakers into the Tenth National Assembly was one of intrigues and surprises as a huge number of incumbent lawmakers lost their seats to newbies. Additionally, the election saw seven (7) political parties win seats in the Nigerian Senate for the first time in the country’s recent parliamentary history.
With the inauguration of the lawmakers now over, we analyse the composition of the Tenth Nigerian Senate and the various demographies present in the Red Chamber. For example, out of the 109 Senators elected to the Red Chamber, about 8.3% of these lawmakers are in their seventies (70s). Interestingly, while some of them are returning lawmakers, a few of them are newbies. On the whole, however, about 3.5% of the Tenth National Assembly members are between the ages of 67 and 73.
This piece focuses, thus, on the oldest lawmakers elected to the Senate in 2023. Here is a brief profile of the lawmakers.
Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe (70)
Born on June 2, 1954, she represents the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Tenth National Assembly.
A civil engineer, she started her political career as an advisor to the National Chairman of the now-defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 1990s. However, she started running for office in 2003 when she ran for the FCT Senate seat on the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) platform.
She later made unsuccessful attempts to secure the same seat under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) respectively, in 2006 and 2015. This led her to join the youth-backed Labour Party (LP) in 2022, where she contested the 2023 National Assembly Assembly elections and won.
Kingibe is the second female to win a Senatorial election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (70)
Born on 1st March 1953, Senator Wamakko represents Sokoto North Senatorial District.
A trained teacher, he served as Deputy Governor under the Attahiru Bafarawa Administration between 1999 and 2006 under the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party (ANPP). Thereafter, Wamakko ran for his state’s governorship and served as the fifth democratically-elected Chief Executive for eight years (2007 -2015) under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
The former Sokoto Governor ran for the Sokoto North Senatorial seat in 2015 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has since then been re-elected to the Ninth and Tenth National Assemblies.
READ ALSO: PROFILES: Meet 10 Ex-Governors moving to the 10th National Assembly
Senator Onawo Muhammad Ogoshi (71)
Born in 1952, Ogoshi represents Nasarawa South Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
In 2003, he was elected to the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, where he served as Speaker of the parliament until his re-election in 2007. Having served as a Member of the House for another four years (2007 – 2011), he proceeded to the House of Representatives as Representative for/Doma/Keana Federal Constituency, where he served for two terms (2011 – 2019).
He unsuccessfully ran for the Nasarawa South Senatorial seat in 2019 and was subsequently nominated as the Deputy Governorship candidate for the PDP at the 2019 general elections. Ogoshi gave it a second shot in 2023 and was elected Senator in the February 25 National Assembly elections defeating former governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the incumbent Senator.
READ ALSO: Meet the three female Senators-Elect in the 10th National Assembly
Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo (71)
Born on 20th December 1952, she represents Rivers West Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly.
A medical doctor by training, she held the position of Permanent Secretary. Acting Commissioner, Head of Service and later Secretary to the State Government (1995 -1999), respectively, at different periods in her home state.
A household name in Rivers State, she was in 2015 elected as the first female deputy governor of Rivers State under the Nyesom Wike Administration, a position she held until May 2023. She was thereafter elected to the Red Chamber of the National Assembly under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), where she is serving her first term.
Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (71)
Born on 10th December 1950, the Professor of Rural Sociology represents Kebbi North Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly.
Senator Abdullahi served in the civil service as Director of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (1992 – 2000) and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs before his retirement (2000 – 2010).
He was first elected to the National Assembly in 2015 and held key positions as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committees on Privatisation and FERMA in the 8th Senate. Upon his return to the Senate in 2019, he was appointed Majority Leader by his party; the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Kebbi North Senator resigned from his position as Senate Leader following his defection to the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022. He thereafter chaired the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and won re-election to the Senate in 2023.
Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje (71)
Born 10th October 1952, Senator Goje represents Gombe Central Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly.
Having previously served as a Member of the Bauchi State House Of Assembly (1979- 1983), he contested and won the Gombe Senatorial seat on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) on 25 April 1998 in the aborted democratic transition of General Sani Abacha.
Appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as Minister of State, Power and Steel in 1999, he served in that capacity until 2001. He would later be elected governor of Gombe State in 2003 under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party until the expiration of his tenure in 2011. The former governor was thereafter elected to the Senate in 2011 under the same platform.
Senator Goje joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was re-elected to the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Senate. He held the position of Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport between 2019 and 2023.
Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (71)
Born on 12th July 1952, Fadahunsi represents Osun East Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly.
A former Customs Officer, he joined politics upon retirement and was elected to the National Assembly in 2019, where he served as Vice Chairman of both the Senate Committees on Trade and Investment, as well as the Customs, Excise and Tariffs.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (71)
Born on 4th April 1952, Oshiomhole represents Edo North Senatorial District in the Tenth National Assembly.
A labour economist, the Edo North Senator had previously served as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President between 1999 and 2007 before running for the governorship of his home state.
He served as Governor of Edo State between 2008 and 2016 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform and then became its third National Chairman from 2016 to 2018. He contested the 2023 National Assembly Election and defeated the incumbent to secure a seat in the 10th Senate for the first time in his political career.
READ ALSO: PROFILES: 11 former Rep Members ‘Graduating’ to the 10th Senate
Senator Mustapha Khabeeb (72)
Born in 1950, Khabeeb Mustapha represents Jigawa South-West Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
A Member of the 6th and 7th House of Representatives, he defeated the incumbent Senator, Sabo Nakudu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 2023 National Assembly Elections to secure the Jigawa South West Senatorial seat.
Editors Note:
All ages used in this piece were primarily sourced from Nigeria’s election management body and desk research records. While they have been updated to reflect the calendar as of today, some of the ages might have slight variations from the official birth date of the lawmakers.
