PROFILES: 11 former Rep Members ‘graduating’ to the 10th Senate

By Ibrahim Tanko Gaddafi and Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq 

Winners of the 2023 National Assembly Elections, as announced by INEC, cut across various demographics; this piece is thus focused on former members of the House of Representatives who will be ‘graduating’ to the Senate come June.

READ ALSO: “Only 33% of Nigerians voted NASS candidates on individual merit” – OrderPaper

1. ABDUL’AZIZ YARI ABUBAKAR (APC, ZAMFARA WEST)
   Immediate past governor of Zamfara State on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), he also served as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) from 2015 to 2019. 

   In 2007, he was elected to the 6th House of Representatives as the member representing Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency. In 2019, he also sought a move to the Senate and secured victory at the general election, but the Supreme Court nullified the victory of his party across all levels on May 24, 2019.
   

   Known to be controversial, he also sought to become the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in early 2022 but failed. Yari went on to rejig his Senatorial bid and won the February 25 general election into the Red Chamber. 

   READ ALSO: PROFILES: Meet the 10 Ex-Governors moving to the 10th National Assembly

    

2. SUMAILA  ABDURRAHMAN KAWU (NNPP, KANO SOUTH)
   
   From his entrance into politics in 1991 as a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kawu’s political career has since seen a meteoric rise.

   From being an aspirant for the Kano State House of Assembly under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, he went on to join the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and became a Member of the House of Representatives representing Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency. Serving three terms in the Green Chamber, he was also Deputy Minority Leader of the 7th House of Representatives.

   He would thereafter be appointed in August 2015 by President Muhammadu Buhari as his Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), which he held until January 2019.

   Kawu, following a series of internal rifts within the All Progressive Congress (APC), defected from the party to the New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP) in May 2022. He picked up the Kano South Senatorial ticket and defeated the incumbent Senator, Kabiru Gaya, who has been in the Red Chamber since 2007.

   
   READ ALSO: Senator Gaya and the threat of an NNPP victory in Kano South

    

3. EMMANUEL UDENDE (APC, BENUE NORTH EAST)
   A staunch loyalist of former Governor George Akume, Emmanuel had, between 1991 and 1997, served as Vice Chairman of his Local Government Area (LGA).
   
   Udende, who represented Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency of Benue State in the 7th and 8th House of Representatives under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), defected from the party in mid-2016 to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
   
   As a lawmaker, he sponsored the Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration, etc.) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which the Green Chamber passed.
   
   He ran for the Benue North East Senatorial District seat against the incumbent lawmaker, Gabriel Suswam, of the PDP, defeating the former governor to secure the Benue Zone A Senatorial seat. The last is, however, yet to be heard, as Senator Suswam has vowed to reclaim his mandate in court.
4. HARUNA MANU (PDP, TARABA CENTRAL)
   
   Having joined the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in late 2010, Manu went on to win elections into the 7th House of Representatives as a Member representing Bali/Gassol Federal Constituency of Taraba State.
   
   In the House, he served as Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency before his switch to the Taraba Government House in May 2015; having been elected deputy governor to Darius Ishaku.
   
   Ahead of the expiration of his final term in office, he sought a move to the Red Chamber as Senator representing Taraba Central District. Manu secured victory at the polls and is on his way to the 10th National Assembly.
   
5. TONY NWOYE (LP,  ANAMBRA NORTH)
   
   A former Student legislator and State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Nwoye is a medical doctor by profession and a seasoned politician.
   
   He served as a member of the 8th House of Representatives representing Anambra East/West Federal Constituency and also ran on two occasions for the governorship of the State on the platform of the PDP (2014) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2017.
   
   Nwoye is returning to the National Assembly this time as a member of the Red Chamber representing Anambra North Senatorial District. He defeated the incumbent Senator, Stella Oduah.
   
   
   READ ALSO: PROFILES: Meet the 7 ‘Obidient’ Senators-Elect in the Tenth National Assembly
    
6. MUSTAPHA KHABEEB (PDP, JIGAWA SOUTH WEST)
   
   A member of the 6th and 7th House of Representatives member, Khabeeb of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is the Senator-Elect for Jigawa South West Senatorial District. 

   The Jigawa-born politician secured a hard-fought win after he defeated the incumbent Senator, Sabo Nakudu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had previously served two terms in the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2015 before moving to the Senate in 2015.
   
   
   READ ALSO: Jigawa: No incumbent Senator will be in the 10th National Assembly

    

7. AHMED ALIYU WADADA (SDP, NASARAWA WEST)
   
   A seasoned politician was a two-term Member of the House of Representatives who represented Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2011 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
   
   During his time in the Green Chamber, he is reputed to have sponsored the Federal Capital Territory Development Agency Bill 2005. Wadada later joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2016, where he also aspired for the governor’s seat in 2019.
   
   Ahead of the 2023 Senatorial elections, he pulled out of the APC primaries and defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleging injustice in the Nasarawa chapter of the APC.
   
   In an election that many saw as a tough battle for the SDP, being the home district of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, National Chairman of the APC, who was the last occupant of the seat, he triumphed.
   
   Wadada is one of the two Senators-Elect of the SDP to be sworn-in in June 2023. 
8. SUNDAY MARSHALL KATUNG (PDP, KADUNA SOUTH)
   
   A former Commissioner for Water Resources; and later of Finance in Kaduna State during the Patrick Yakowa and Mukhtar Ramalan Yero administrations, respectively, between July 2010 and May 2011, Katung won election into the 8th House of Representatives as representative for Jaba/Zangon Kataf Federal Constituency. In 2018, he was nominated by Isah Mohammed Ashiru, the Governorship Candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State as his running mate for the 2019 elections.
   
   In a similar vein, his wife, Abigail Marshall Katung, based in the United Kingdom (UK), won an election in May 2019 as Councilor for Little London and Woodhouse Ward Of Leeds City Council.
   
   The ex-lawmaker defeated his closest rival at the February 25 polls, Ayuba Michael Auta of the Labour Party (LP) and Bulus Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to secure the Kaduna South in the 10th Senate.

9. KHALID IBRAHIM MUSTAPHA (PDP, KADUNA NORTH)
   
   A member of the 6th and 7th House of Representatives representing Soba Federal Constituency, he will be making a move to the 10th Senate as Senator for Kaduna North Senatorial District. 

   Mustapha secured the seat after defeating his closest rivals, incumbent Senator Kwari Suleiman Abdu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Bawa of the New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP) and Sidi Ibrahim Bamalli of Labour Party (LP). 

10. SUNDAY STEVE KARIMI (APC, KOGI WEST)
    
    The All Progressives Congress (APC) standard bearer defeated his main opponent, Tajudeen Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has been the incumbent lawmaker representing Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives since 2011.
    
    A 7th and 8th House of Representatives member between 2011 and 2019, Karimi represented Yagba West/Yagba East/Mopamuro Federal Constituency.
    
    The Senator-Elect’s victory has been described by analysts as historic, as it halts the dominance of the Kogi West Senatorial seat by Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency who have produced all Senators for the district since ex-Senator Tunde Ogbeha (1999 – 2007) who hails from Lokoja-Kotonkarfe.
    
    Senator Smart Adeyemi and Dino Melaye, who both hail from Kabba-Bunu-Ijumu, all spent three terms and one term, respectively, from 2007 to 2023. Karimi will be replacing Senator Smart Adeyemi in the 10th Senate. 
11. ONAWO MUHAMMAD OGOSHI (SDP, NASARAWA SOUTH)
    A former member of the 8th House of Representatives, he joined his colleague Rep. David Emmanuel Ombugadu on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket as his running mate in 2019.
    
    The duo lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, who currently preside over the state’s affairs as governor and deputy.
    
    In a dramatic twist of fate, however, Rep. Ogoshi picked the PDP  Nasarawa South Senatorial ticket and defeated Governor Abdulahi Sule’s political benefactor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who is a former governor in the February 25  National Assembly elections.