Meet the oldest lawmakers in the House of Reps (based on age)

In part three of our series on Composition of the Tenth National Assembly, we spotlight the oldest lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives (based on age).

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 eight (8) political parties win seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives for the first time. A feat that has led many to describe the current House of Representatives as the most politically diverse 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, 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 Nigeria’s House of Representatives in 2023. Here is a brief profile of the three Members of Parliament.

Rep. Julius Ihonvbere (67)

Born 25th June 1956. Ihonvbere is the lawmaker representing Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State in the Tenth House of Representatives.

A Professor of Political Science, he has authored, co-authored and edited several books including 9 full monographs; 79 refereed academic papers; 46 book chapters; 20 commentaries and 190 research/conference papers.

In public service, he served as Special Adviser on Project Monitoring and Implementation to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG). He has also been a Governorship Aspirant on two occasions under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

Year later, Rep. Ihonvbere aspired for a Senate seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform before his election to the Ninth House of Representatives in 2019, where he chaired the Committee on Basic Education and Services. He was re-elected to this Assembly in February 2023.

Rep. Abiodun ‘Derin Adesida (68)

Born on 30th December 1954, Adesida represents Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency of Ondo State in the Tenth House of Representatives.

A Finance Professional in his younger days, he navigated into the field of Information, Communciation and Technology (ICT) leading him to establish the famous Derin Computers Limited in 1985. He later became Network Administrator of AFSCME-District Council 33, Philadelphia, and President/Chief Executive Officer of Octopus Computer Systems Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Founder of Ala Community Bank, Prince Adesida moved into public service in 2003 after his appointment as Special Assistant (Finance) to the Ondo State Governor (2003 – 2006). He was first elected to represent the people of Akure North and Akure South Federal Constituency in 2007 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform.

Rep. Akanni Enitan Dolapo-Badru (70)

Born 30th January 1953. Dolapo-Badru is the lawmaker representing Lagos Island 1 Federal Constituency in the Tenth House of Representatives.

Founder/Chairman of DOLBAD Insurance Brokers, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Business Administration.

He served as Special Adviser to then Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu (2003 – 2007) and as Commissioner for Youth and Social Development under the Babatunde Fashola Administration (2007 – 2015). Dolapo-Badru was in 2015 elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform to represent Lagos Island 1 Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and has since then been re-elected twice.

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.

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