As political observers await the swearing-in of the elected Senators on the floor of the Red Chambers, OrderPaper, in this piece, OrderPaper profiles these lawmakers before and after joining politics.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, 3rd February 2024 conducted some bye-elections as a result of the resignation or death of elected lawmakers and subsequent vacancies declared by the presiding officers of the National Assembly and the state houses of assemblies.
In the Senate, no fewer than 3 seats were left vacant before the bye-election due to the appointments of two Senators by President Bola Tinubu and the sack of another by the Appeal Court.
In the announcement of the result for the Plateau North senatorial district, Prince Pam Mwadkon Dachungyang of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) was declared the winner of the bye-election to replace Simon Mwadkwon.
In Ebonyi State, Prof. Okorie Anthony Ani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was announced as the winner of Ebonyi South to replace David Umahi (APC) while in Yobe East, Musa Mustapha emerged winner to replace Geidam Ibrahim (APC).
As political observers await the swearing-in of the elected Senators on the floor of the Red Chamber, OrderPaper, in this piece, profiles these lawmakers before and after joining politics.
Plateau North
- Pam Mwadkon Dachungyang (ADP)
Pam Mwadkon Dachungyang, this senator-elect is an indigene of Riyom LGA. He was born at Kwallack in Riyom village of Riyom District on the 14th day of September 1962 into the family of Prince Da Mwadkon Dachung Gyang (1889-1967) and Princess Ngo Lyop Gwok – Mwadkon Dachung Gyang (1919-2003).
His biological father, Prince Mwadkon Dachung Gyang, was the 1st Son of HRM Da Chung Gyang Badung Dahei (1862-1949). The Late Monarch was the 1st approved and gazetted Gbong Gwom Berom, whose leadership period in office was from 1920 to 1946. Pam is known to be the 18th child in the lineage of the ascendancy history of the family tree.
Dachungyang won with 122,442 votes defeating Yakub Muhammad Safiu of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) who polled 53,980, Christopher Musa Giwa of the APC who polled 39,132 to came a distant third, and Gyang Zi of the LP trailed with 33,243 votes.
- Simon Davou Mwadkwon (PDP)
Simon Mwadkwon was serving his first term as a Senator representing Plateau North senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 10th Senate before he was kicked out by the court. Until his expulsion, he was the Minority Leader of the Senate.
Born in 1961, Mwadkwon was a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2019, where he represented Barkin Ladi/ Riyom Federal Constituency.
Mwadkwon was sacked by the Appeal Court which mandated a rerun within 90 days.
READ ALSO: UPDATE: Changing face of the 10th Senate 6 months after
A three-member panel led by Justice Daudu Williams ruled that Mwadkwon was not validly nominated by the PDP for the election because twelve Local Government Areas (LGAs) did not attend the congress that selected him as the party’s candidate. The panel subsequently ordered a rerun in the Plateau North senatorial zone within 90 days, barring Mwadkwon from the rerun.
Before joining politics, he was a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Religious Studies at the University of Jos.
Mwadkwon served as the Executive Chairman of Riyom Local Government Council from 2009 to 2011.
He also served as the Chairman of Berom Youth Movement (BYM) Apata branch Jos North 1996-98, Secretary of Tula Berom University of Jos 1997-98, Chairman of Plateau Youth Council Riyom branch 1997-98, and the National President of Berom Youth Movement 2004-2007.
According to data by OrderPaper in the 9th National Assembly Appraisals (Third Session), Mwadkwon sponsored a total of 23 bills during his time in the House of Representatives, making him one of the top performers in the Green Chamber.
He was also a semi-finalist of OrderPaper’s Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame as a Top Performer in the House Of Representatives Newbies.
Ebonyi South
- Prof. Okorie Anthony Ani (APC)
Born in Ebonyi State on 24th June 1966, Prof. Okorie Anthony Ani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had his first degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he acquired a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Agriculture, and graduated with Second Class Upper Division in 1989. He obtained his Master’s degree in Agricultural Extension Administration from the same University in 1992. He began a Doctoral Philosophicus programme at the University of Maiduguri where he bagged a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology in 2002.
Ani began his career in 1994 as an Assistant Lecturer with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, and rose from the level of an Assistant Lecturer to the rank of a Professor on 1st October 2006.
Reports have it that he is widely consulted on issues of Agric Extension, Methodologies and Educational Development as he is known to have written over One Hundred and Ten Article Journals, more than Twenty Six (26) Conference Proceedings, More than four (4) Text Books, more than Fifteen (15) Unpublished Articles, Two (2) textbooks that are universally in use, Three (3) articles that are undergoing review and has gotten Eight (8) Honorary Awards.
According to the results of the bye-election, Ani polled a total of 46,270 votes to win. Linus Okorie of the Labour Party (LP) scored 2,710; Ifeanyi Eleje of All Grand Progressive Congress (APGA) had 3,513 votes and Silas Onu of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) garnered 2,783 votes.
- David Umahi (APC)
Sixty-year-old Senator David Umahi was the Deputy Leader of the 10th Senate before being appointed Minister of Works by President Bola Tinubu
Before joining the National Assembly, Umahi was the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State between 2011 and 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and from 2015-2023 he rose to the position of the Governor of Ebonyi State under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Umahi also served as the Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State between 2007 and 2008 and later, as the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (2008 – 2011). He was the Chairman, the South East Governors Forum and Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.
Yobe East
- Musa Mustapha (APC)
Before he emerged as Senator-elect, Mustapha was the Commissioner for Transportation and Energy in Yobe State and a former Commissioner for Finance during the first tenure of the Mai Mala Buni-led administration between 2019 and 2023.
Mustapha was declared winner of the Yobe East bye-election, on Sunday, after polling 68,778 votes to defeat Aji Kolomi (Ajiko) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 18,878 votes.
- Geidam Ibrahim (APC)
Geidam Ibrahim was one of the ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Tinubu. He was serving his second tenure as senator having previously served out two consecutive terms as governor of Yobe State between 2009 and 2019. He is currently the Minister of Police Affairs.
Gaidam left the civil service in 1995 when he was appointed the Commissioner for Youths and Sports and then Commissioner of Commerce Industries, by the then Military Administrator of Yobe State, Compol Dabo Aliyu. He held this position until 1997 when he returned to civil service.
Before becoming a senator, he had served as the Permanent Secretary at the Yobe State Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Yobe State Ministry of Commerce and Industries, and Yobe State Ministry of Land and Survey.
He later rose to become Director in the Yobe State Finance Ministry, Acting Director of Finance and Supplies at the Yobe Information and Culture Ministry, Assistant Director of Finance at the Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure, and then, Governor before becoming a Senator.
