It is mandatory that parliamentary elections are conducted every four years, expectedly, those who performed below average are voted out by their people,. There are those who got re-elected on account of their superlative performances. National WAVES’ publisher, Jimmy Enyeh brings you 20 top senators who won their re-election on account of their exceptional performances in the eighth assembly.
IKE EKWEREMADU
One lawmaker who has evidently warmed himself into the hearts of his people is Senator Ike Ekweremadu, he has consistently won election into the Senate five consecutive times. Ekweremadu has spent 16 solid years in the Senate and has been re-elected for a record fifth time by voters in Enugu West senatorial district. He has been Deputy Senate President since 2007. Ekweremadu, started his political career in I999 as a local government chairman in his home state, Enugu before contesting for the Senate seat in 2003. He is passionate about devolution of power and sponsored the state police bill along with 76 other Senators which is at the second reading stage at the Senate. Ekweremadu is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
AHMAD LAWAN
Representing Yobe South Senatorial District is Senator Ahmad Lawan. He was a member of the House of Representatives and later won election into the Senate in 2007.
He is the Leader of the Senate. At the beginning of the 8th Senate in June, 2015, the APC Yobe South Senator was the choice of the Presidency for the coveted Senate Presidency seat but lost it to Dr. Bukola Saraki who emerged Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly. As Senate Leader, he introduces debate on issues, motions and bills presented before the Senate.
JAMES MANAGER
Delta State born Senator James Manager is undoubtedly a man of the people in the Delta South senatorial district of Delta State. He won election for the fifth time to represent his people. Manager, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Power. He had in the past sponsored many bills. He ranks among the experienced Senators in the Senate.
ENYINNAYA ABARIBE
Another top senator who has given an unmatched account of himself is Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. He represents Abia South senatorial district and has occupied that seat since 2007. He was deputy governor of Abia state during the first term of Governor Orji Uzor Kalu in 1999. Abaribe is Chairman of the South East Senate caucus. He has sponsored so many vital bills and said to be close to his people.
ALI NDUME
As a member of the House of Representatives, Ali Ndume gave his best and that culminated into being elected a Senator representing APC Borno South in the Senate in 2011. He emerged Leader of the eighth Senate before he was removed in February, 2017. Ndume has continued to excel as a lawmaker and is one of the die-hard Buhari loyalists
DANJUMA GOJE
Danjuma Goje is the former Governor of Gomber State, after his tenure as governor; he won election to represent the people of Gombe Central Senatorial district in 2011 and since has being doing splendidly well. He is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation Bills.
KABIRU GAYA
He is one of the governors who won election into the Senate after their tenure. Senator Kabiru Gaya, a former governor of Kano State is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and represents Kano South.
He is one of the top and experienced senators having been in the Senate since 2011.
ADAMU ALIERO
He was born on 1st of January 1957 and was governor of Kebbi State from 29th May, 1999 to 29th May, 2007. He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He became Senator for Kebbi Central from June 5, 2007 till December 18, 2008.
Aliero was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in December 2008.He left office in March 2010 when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet..Adamu Aliero has been a ranking APC Kebbi Central senator since 2011.He had earlier served as Kebbi State governor.
OLUREMI TINUBU
Oluremi Tinubu was born on September 21, 1960, to an Itsekiri mother and Yoruba father. She was the youngest of 12 children and was raised in Ogun State.
Mrs. Tinubu received a B.Sc. in Education from the University of Ife, and a National Certificate of Education in Botany and Zoology from the Adeyemi College of Education. She became the First Lady of Lagos State when her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was elected governor at the return of civilian rule in 1999.
As First Lady, she established the New Era Foundation, dedicated to establishing centres for “all round development of young ones and promote public awareness on environmental health and community service.” She currently represents Lagos Central Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is said to have performed splendidly well which led to massive support from her people..
She is a third time Senator representing Lagos Central on the platform of APC. She is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Environment. In the 7th Senate, she was the Chairman of the Senate committee on Women Affairs.
ABDULLAHI ADAMU
He is the former governor of Nasarawa State. Abdullahi Adamu was elected senator representing Nasarawa West senatorial district in 2011, a position he holds till date. The APC senator from Nasarawa West Senatorial district is Chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture. He is sure giving a good account of himself
AJAYI BOROFFICE
Professor Robert Ajayi Boroffice was born on 23rd of April 1949 at Iboje Quarter, Oka-Akoko in Ondo State, to the family of Late Pa Zachacus Omololu Boroffice and late Mrs. Comfort Aina Boroffice.
He attended the University of Ibadan for a degree in Geology, but he later changed his course to Zoology. He graduated in 1971 as the best student in the department with second class upper division which was very rare in the Zoology department in the university of ibadan at that time. As a result of his excellent performance, he was admitted to pursue his doctorate degree programme in that same department. In 1975, Prof. Boroffice bagged a Ph.D, degree in genetics. In 1978, he proceeded to university of New Castle for a post- doctoral research fellowship in human genetics.
Senator Ajayi Boroffice who has been in the Senate since 2011 and he represents Ondo North Senatorial district on the platform of APC has sponsored bills that are beneficial to his people.
TESLIM FOLARIN
Before he left the Senate, Teslim Folarin was one of the senators that were ranked high on accounts of their intelligent contributions to plenary. He is back to the red chamber. He was the Senate Leader during the sixth Senate from 2007 to 2011 when he represented Oyo Central on the platform of PDP. He had since defected to the APC under which platform he won the senatorial election.
GEORGE SEKIBO
He was one of the stylish Senators with cerebral excellence. Senator George Sekibo literally went on vacation and is back to the Senate. He served in the sixth and seventh Senate and sure stood out on account of his exemplary contributions. He won his election to represent Rivers East on the platform of PDP.
PHILIPS TANIMU ADUDA
He was born in Karu, FCT Abuja. He attended Government Secondary School, Gwagwalada (1983–1987) and Kaduna State Polytechnic (1987–1990) He holds a Higher Diploma in Public Administration from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida.
In 1996 Aduda ran as an independent candidate and was elected a Councilor of Karu Ward, Abuja, and held various positions on the Abuja Municipal Area Council. He was elected as member of the House of Representatives for AMAC/Bwara in Abuja (2003–2007). He was re-elected to represent Bwari Area, Abuja in the House of Representatives in 2008.
He was at the front for the campaign of mayoral status for FCT. He also carried out some people-oriented constituency projects like rural electrification projects. Senator Philips Aduda who is the senator for Abuja Federal Capital Territory, was elected in April 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and has been given an outstanding account of himself.
DINO MELAYE
Indefatigable Daniel Dino Melaye is the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial district and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. He is currently the Chairman Senate Committee in FCT.
He was born in the city of Kano and graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied geography in 2000. He led the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and later became the Secretary General of African Youth Council and then that of the Commonwealth Youth Council. He was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo to chair the Presidential Advisory Council on Youths
He seconded the nomination of Senator Bukola Saraki as candidate for the office of President of the Senate following a nomination made by Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima. He was re-elected on the 19th of February, 2019 to return as senator representing Kogi-West Senatorial district to be a member of the 9th Senate
Senator Melaye has sponsored about 20 bills and moved over 30 motions in the 8th National Assembly to give his constituents and Nigerians a good parliamentary representation.
Abdulfatai Buhari
Smooth talking Senator Fatai Buhari was born in1965 in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. He is the senator representing Oyo North Senatorial district in the Senate.
Buhari who won his re-election on account of his popularity and his superlative performances at the eighth Assembly attended University of Ilorin where he studied Business Administration and in 1985 graduated with a B.Sc. in Business Administration. Buhari proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria where he graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration in 1993. In 2009, he obtained a Ph.D in Public Policy from the University of Abuja.
In November 2015, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry. Subsequently he was again appointed Chairman Senate Committee on ICT & Cyber Crime
In October 2016, he sponsored a bill to make election debate mandatory. The bill named “Nigerian Political Debates Commission Bill 2015” would aim to make all prospective candidates of election pass through a debate overseen by a commission. The bill passed its second reading but was never implemented as it was kicked against by the Independent National Electorate Commission
Buhari is one lawmaker who has performed beyond expectations.
IBRAHIM GOBIR
Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir was born January 1, 1953, he was elected Senator for Sokoto East, in Sokoto State in 2011 national elections.
Gobir holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Detroit in the United States, and a doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering and Energy from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi, Nigeria. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers (UK) and of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
Prior to becoming a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State from 1999 to 2003. In the 2007 elections, he became the Executive Governor of Sokoto State.
Senator Ibrahim Gobir is a third time senator representing APC Sokoto East. He is Chairman of the Senate Services Committee.
EMMANUEL BWACHA
He is the senator representing Taraba South constituency of Taraba State and was elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Bwacha was born in the Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State. He has an Education Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Calabar. He served as Commissioner of Agriculture for Taraba State between 1999 and 2003 in the Jolly Nyame administration. Bwacha was elected to thes House of Representatives for the Donga/ Ussa /Takum Constituency, serving from May 2003 to May 2007. He was Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs. In the April 2007 elections he lost his bid for the Senate seat.
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha has been a PDP Senator representing Taraba South since 2011.He is Senate Deputy Minority Leader.
