Politics
Analysis: Six Sitting Governors Eye 2023 Senatorial Seats
There are also two former Deputy Governors in the Senate chamber. They are Eyinnaya Abaribe who represents Abia Central and Biodun Olujimi, the Senator representing Ekiti South at the Red Chamber

The Senate is gradually becoming a retirement home for former Governors, as almost every Governor who completes his two terms in office heads for the Red Chamber.
There were 17 former State Governors in the Senate at the outset. They are Kashim Shettima (Borno), Tanko Al-Makura and Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abdullaziz Yari (Zamfara). Others are Kabiru Gaya and Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Theodore Orji and Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu) and Gabriel Suswan (Benue).
There are also two former Deputy Governors in the Senate chamber. They are Eyinnaya Abaribe who represents Abia Central and Biodun Olujimi, the Senator representing Ekiti South at the Red Chamber.
That trend is not likely to abate, as six sitting Governors are set to join the bandwagon. They are Samuel Ortom (Benue), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) and Simon Lalong (Plateau).
- SAMUEL ORTOM
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom is one of the second term Governors that have indicated that he would make the transition from the Benue State Government House to the Senate chamber next year.
After months of speculations, Ortom finally confirmed recently that he has yielded to the appeal of his constituents that he should vie for a seat in the Senate in next year’s general election.
- SIMON LALONG
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has also indicated his interest to run for Plateau South Senatorial election in 2023. The Governor, who is the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, has obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the National Secretariat of the ruling APC in Abuja. A group identified as The Plateau Legacy Group led by Yusuf Gagdi collected the forms and guidelines on behalf of Governor Lalong.
- DARIUS ISHAKU
Taraba State’s Governor Darius Ishaku has also accepted to contest for a senatorial seat to continue the good work he is doing for the people. A group under the auspices of the Southern Taraba Women and Youth Coalition has been appealed to Governor Darius Ishaku to contest the Southern Taraba senatorial seat and the governor is believed to have accepted to contest.
- lFEANYI UGWUANYI
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi had been in a dilemma over whether to contest for the Enugu North Senatorial seat or go for the Presidency. This was based on the clamour for a president of Igbo extraction to succeed the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari when the latter completes his second term by May next year.
However, the Governor appears to have eventually settled for the senatorial race. There was jubilation in the constituency recently when the lawmaker currently representing the district, Chukwuka Utazi, announced his decision not to re-contest for the seat next year. Utazi said he decided not to run to pave the way for the smooth emergence of Governor Ugwuanyi to represent the district in the 10th National Assembly.
- IFEANYI OKOWA
Delta State’s Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is another Southern Governor that is hoping to be picked as Vice President if the PDP eventually settles for a Northerner as its flag bearer for next year’s presidential election. But, Okowa who was in the Senate from 2011 and 2015 was recently reported to have picked up his nomination and expression of interest forms for the Delta North senatorial race.
- UMAR GANDUJE
Kano State’s Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, is still weighing his exit plans and political future outside the Government House. He has openly said he has no plan to quit active politics after his exit from the State House. The 71-year old says he will remain politically active after the expiration of his second term in 2023.
Ganduje’s close allies have indicated however that he is aspiring for two key positions, but is still pondering on which one would be feasible within the calculations of his party for the next general elections. From all indications, Ganduje’s first interest is to be picked as a running mate to whoever the party picks as its presidential flag bearer.
But, if his Vice Presidential ambition does not work out, Ganduje, it is said, will settle for the Senate. If he runs for the Senate, he will have only a few hurdles to cross. One of such close allies said: “The leadership of the APC has already planned to cede the ticket to him, if he aspires for Senate, after all, Sen. Barau Jibrin the incumbent senator representing Kano North district where the Governor comes from, is running for Governor.”
Politics
Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has revealed one of the reasons he can’t make peace with Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Wike accused Fubara of removing a chief in his family and went ahead to make another person a chief.
The FCT Minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists at a media parley in Abuja.
According to reports, the statement comes amid the ongoing political crisis in the State, with Wike and Governor Similayi Fubara at the center of the feud.
“Sometimes when you people talk about this peace, you don’t take everything. You don’t just sit outside to talk.
“Look at me, a former governor, Minister of of the FCT, Governor (Fubara) had the temerity, the audacity, because he has money from federation account, because he has more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), will enter my own family to remove a chief and make another person a chief,” Wike said.
News
Lagos HoA Crisis: Let Obasa Stay, Tinubu Tells Lawmakers

President Bola Tinubu has instructed lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the impeached and reinstated Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to continue leading the house.
The President made this position known when he met with the lawmakers at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.
As reported earlier, this is the first time President Tinubu is meeting the lawmakers since the crisis began in the house January 13, 2025.
One of the lawmakers told newsmen that ” Obasa is staying. We will obey the president. What we had was a family meeting. The President condenmed Obasa’s actions but blamed us for not carring him (Tinubu) along during the impeachement execrise”.
However, the lawmaker said President Tinubu warned Obasa to carry everyone along.
” He also warned him (Obasa) that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. “The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted.”
On the pending matter in court, the source said: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”
Politics
Fubara not sincere, playing to gallery – Rivers Assembly

The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.
The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.
Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.
George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.
“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.
“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.
“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.
“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.
“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.
“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.
Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.
He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?
“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.
“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.
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