PDP Senate Primaries: Winners and losers

The Peoples Democratic Party in Kano State has endorsed the Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Bello Hayatu, as sole candidate of the party to contest the Kano North senatorial seat in 2015.

His election was ratified by 513 delegates from the 13 local government areas which made up the senatorial zone.

They carried out the endorsement in Bichi.

In Uyo, Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom emerged the unopposed candidate of the PDP for Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District.

Akpabio emerged after the incumbent, Sen. Aloysius Etuk, stepped down for him on the grounds that the constitution of the PDP was not disposed to monopoly of senatorial seats by individual.

Sen. Etuk said that the decision to step down was followed the outcome of the numerous consultations with major stakeholders of Ini and Ikono Federal Constituency and the party’s hierarchy.

Akpabio said: “I will not disappoint you all for giving me this support.”

In Kwara state, former Special Adviser on Security to ex-Gov. Bukola Saraki of Kwara, Alhaji Yinka Aluko, secured the PDP ticket to contest the Kwara Central senatorial election.

According to the results of the primary election, read by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Alhaji Mustapha AbdulWahab, in llorin, Aluko polled 83 votes to beat Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, who had 81 votes.

Other contestants at the election were Hajia Bilikis Gambari who had five votes; Alhaji Lasisi Jimoh polled three votes, while there were three invalid votes.

In Bode Saadu, Kwara state, a former House of Representatives member, Alhaji Yahaya Yinusa, won the senatorial ticket for Kwara North, in keenly contested primaries.

Yinusa defeated Alhaji Mazuma by 108 votes to 101, in an exercise conducted at the headquarters of Moro Local Government Area of the state.

Yinusa said the victory was for democracy and all party members.

Plateau state

Sen. Joshua Dariye, who recently returned to PDP, on Sunday emerged winner of the party’s primary election for Plateau Central Senatorial District.

A serving senator under Labour Party (LP), Dariye scored 104 votes to beat four others in the race for the constituency.

Mr Solomon Zang, Chairman of the party’s Electoral Committee, who announced the result, said that 262 delegates voted out of 263.

“I wish to declare that out of the 262 votes cast, Sen. Joshua Dariye got 104 votes with Mr Alexander Mwolwus coming second with 84 votes.

“On behalf of my committee members, I wish to declare Dariye as the winner of the primaries and so returned elected as candidate of Plateau Central Senatorial District,’’ he said.

Zang said Emmanuel Goar scored 46 votes; Abbas Dayilim, 14; while Satti Gogwim scored 12.

Dariye expressed gratitude to God and the delegates for the opportunity and trust bestowed on him.

Gov Jonah Jang of Plateau won the senatorial ticket to contest for Plateau North seat.

Jang polled 273 votes to defeat Mr Ibrahim Kasai, who scored 18 at the party’s primaries held in Jos.

Mr Ibrahim Bamali, Chairman, PDP Electoral Panel for House of Representatives and Senate Primaries, described the process as transparent.

In Kafanchan, Kaduna State, incumbent Sen. Nenadi Usman of Kaduna South Senatorial District, fell by the wayside during the PDP primary election in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area. She lost to Danjuma Laah by six votes.

The Presiding Officer, Nuhu Ibrahim, while announcing the result, said 323 votes were cast and 1 invalid vote while three aspirants, including Usman, Danjuma Laah and Joseph Gumbari, contested for the zone.

Ibrahim said two other aspirants, John Ayuba and Mark Jacob, opted out of the contest before the election.

He said Sen. Usman scored 123 votes; Joseph Gummbari, 70; while Danjuma Laah won with 129 votes.

Unlike Nenadi Usman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi the senator representing Kaduna-North Senatorial District had an easy walk through the primary.

Makarfi, a former governor of the state, was adopted as sole candidate after his rival, Umar Faruk withdrew from the contest following consensus arrangement made a day prior to the party’s primary.

Sen. George Sekibo swept the election to contest the Rivers East senatorial seat for the third term today.

Announcing the result, the returning officer, Dr Frank Kpakol declared Sekibo winner by winning 406 votes cast by 407 accredited delegates.

In his acceptance speech, Sekibo thanked the delegates and promised to continue to render qualitative representation and service to the people.

In the election for Rivers South-East, Chief Olaka Worgu won by polling 299 votes cast by the 300 accredited delegates to defeat Mrs Georgina Tenalo who got one vote.

However, violence marred the primary in Rivers West in which three contestants including Chief Chibudom Nwuche and David Briggs were aspirants

Senate President David Mark, Gov. Gabriel Suswam and Mike Mku on Saturday picked the PDP’s ticket to contest the 2015 general elections in their respective senatorial zones in Benue state.

The primaries for Benue South Senatorial District was held at the Otukpo local government secretariat.

Announcing the results on Sunday in Otukpo, the Returning Officer for the election, Mr John Akume, said Mark scored 384 votes to pick the party’s ticket while his only rival, Mr Mike Onoja, withdrew from the race hours to its commencement.

Mark had represented the zone, comprising Otukpo, Okpokwu, Ado, Ogbadibo, Agatu, Oju, Obi, Ohimini and Apa local government councils at the senate for 16 years.

At the Akume Atongo stadium, where the primaries for the Benue North East Senatorial seat held, Gov Gabriel Suswam polled 312 votes to emerge the winner.

The other contender for the seat, incumbent Sen. Barnabas Gemade, had withdrawn from the race a week earlier.

The returning officer for the election, Sen.Godwin Okpeh, therefore, declared Suswam winner.

At the Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi, the returning officer for the Benue North West Senatorial District, Mr Bob Nenge, said Mike Mku polled 168 votes to beat three others.

The others were former Speaker, Benue House of Assembly, Mr Terseer Tsumba, Mr Laha Dzever and Mr Sam Bula.

According to the results, Tsumba scored 56 votes, Bula got 3 votes while Dzever scored 101 votes.

Speaking to newsmen after the contest, Mku commended the electoral panel for conducting a free and fair election and promised to work hard to ensure victory for the party in 2015.

He appealed to the losers to join him for the overall victory of the party at the general elections.

Mku is set to meet Sen George Akume, who is a consensus aspirant on the platform of the APC at the 2015 general elections.

Bayelsa State

Sen. Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central) and Mr Ben Murray Bruce representing Bayelsa East, have won their bid to contest the 2015 senate election in the PDP primaries conducted on Sunday in Bayelsa.

However Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa West) lost his re-election bid to the upper legislative chamber to Mr Foster Ogola the immediate past chairman of Bayelsa State Scholarship Board.

In the election for Bayelsa Central, Paulker won with 174 votes; Mr Austin Ogionwon got 17 votes while Mr Ebiundu Komonibo and Torunana James got one vote each.

Ogola scored 69 votes to win the election for Bayelsa West while Mr Ayakeme Whiskey got 27 votes.

Capt. Matthew Karimo (rtd) got 12 votes, Dr Stella Dorgu scored three votes, Chief Frank Akpoebi got two votes while Lokpobiri scored zero vote.

In the election for Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Ben Murray Bruce won with 138 votes to beat Mr Anthony Ikoli (SAN) who got 11 votes and Mr Nelson Belief with two votes

Two aspirants Mr Austin Dressman and Prof. Ayebaemi Spiff withdrew from the race for undisclosed reasons while Clever Ikisikpo a member of the House of Representatives got no vote.

In Lagos state, the 2011 PDP governorship candidate, Ade Dosunmu won the Lagos Central district, beating Mr Olumide Braithwaite, son of eminent Nigerian and pro-democracy activist,and Hakeem Gbajabiamila, a former Alliance for Democracy governorship candidate and commissioner under Bola Tinubu.

Nasarawa state:

Also in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, Mr Onje Gye-wado, the former Deputy Gov. of the state, lost the PDP senatorial ticket for the North Senatorial Zone to Philip Gyunka, a member of the House of Assembly, representing Akwanga South.

Gye-Wado told newsmen after the primaries in Akwanga, that he had accepted defeat and promised to work with the winner of the election for the progress of the party.

Announcing the result, Shamshedeen Maikasuwa, the Returning Officer, said that Gyunka got 89 votes while Onje Gye-wado got 55.

Abia state

Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia emerged the winner of the Abia Central Senatorial District. He was the sole candidate, with his election ratified by 221 delegates.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Information, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, also picked the ticket for Abia South Senatorial district for a possible third term in the senate.

A former House of Representatives member, Chief Mao Ohuabunwa, defeated the incumbent, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, to clinch the ticket for Abia North Senatorial district.

In Edo state, the Senate Vice Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Mr Odion Ugbesia, lost his bid to return to the Senate.

Ugbesia, who is the senator representing Edo Central, lost to his opponent, Mr Cliffors Ordia by 141 votes to 62 votes.

Ugbesia has been a Senator since 2007.

In Enugu state, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and Sen. Gilbert Nnaji Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, won the PDP primary to contest the 2015 senatorial election.

Ekweremadu won the Enugu-West senatorial seat after his opponent; Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State withdrew from the race in the primary conducted in Enugu on Sunday.

Nnaji, representing Enugu-East senatorial zone was returned after he secured 231 votes of the 247 accredited votes.

Nnaji’s opponents in the election, former Minister of Information, Mr Frank Nweke (Jnr) secured two votes, Mrs Ifeoma Nwobodo the former Chief of Staff to Gov. Chime, came last with one vote.

Mr Nwabueze Okafor, National President, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), secured three votes while Mr Everest Nnaji got two votes.

Mr Chukwuka Utazi the former Commissioner for Transport in the state secured the ticket for Enugu-North senatorial seat to replace Senator Ayogu Eze who is contesting the gubernatorial election.

In Gombe State, Sen. Joshua Lidani, and Rep. Bello Usman, were elected as PDP Senatorial flag bearers.

Lidani polled 88 votes, followed by Sen. Ajuji Waziri who scored 39.

Alhaji Kabiru Bappa-Jauro, Returning Officer of the election, said the election was free, fair and transparent.

He commended the maturity exhibited by the aspirants during the primaries.

On his part, Bello emerged as Gombe Central PDP Senatorial candidate in a consensus where Mrs Hajara Salim and Alhaji Bello Mohammed stepped down.

The presiding officer for the election, Chief Ben Onyekwe, said the electoral process was adhered to, in spite of consensus.

Alhaji Abdulkadir Hammasale was elected candidate for the Gombe North Senatorial District on the PDP platform, following a consensus arrangement.

In Bauchi state, Gov. Isa Yuguda emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Bauchi South Senatorial Constituency.

Yuguda polled 290 votes to defeat, Alhaji Sanusi Baban-Takko, who withdrew from the primaries after casting his vote.

Yuguda, a second term governor, had urged the incumbent senator, Alhaji Adamu Gumba, to step down.

Senator Abdul Ningi was returned for Bauchi Central, while Alhaji Faruk Mustafa, emerged as candidate for Bauchi North Constituency.

Mustafa would replace the incumbent senator representing Bauchi North, Sen. Babayo Gamawa, vying for the governorship position of the state under the PDP