Over 107 Reps lose return ticket, others may follow
No fewer than 107 members of the Ninth House of Representatives have so far lost their ticket to return to the Green Chamber in 2023 through the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Some of the lawmakers who lost their tickets have defected to other parties with a view to seeking re-election.
Results of about 143 other members were still outstanding as at the time of compiling this report, an indication that the number of lawmakers who may not make it back to the House might increase.
About 110 other lawmakers have so far secured their tickets as results from other Federal constituencies were being collated by various political parties.
The Nation investigation revealed that two principal officers of the PDP in the House lost their return tickets to their opponents, while the House Chief Whip will fly the APC flag for the Senate for Borno North.
The principal officers are: Deputy Minority Leader Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) and Adekoya Abdul-Mojeed (PDP, Ogun), while the Chief Whip is Mohammed Tahir Mongunu.
Although they currently form part of the leadership of the House, Okechukwu and Adekoya were not among the principal officers for the Minority Caucus nominated by the PDP and were initially suspended by the party when they became principal officers alongside Ndudi Elumelu (Minority Leader) and Gideon Gwani (Minority Whip).
A perusal of the ongoing party primaries also revealed that many of the strong and vocal PDP members in the House did not win their various primaries, thus failing in their bid to return to the House.
Among the strong and vibrant PDP members who may not be returning to the House unless they use other political platforms include Ossai Nicholas Ossai (Delta), Rowland Ben Ignakpa (Delta) Nkem Nzoma Abonta (Abia) and Chinyere Igwe (Rivers).
Others are: Sergius Ogun (Edo), Rimande Shawulu (Taraba), Onofiok Luke, who went to contest the Akwa Ibom governorship ticket; Mark Gbillah (Benue), Leo Ogor (Delta), who did not recontest, and Yusuf Tajudeen (Kogi), who is heading to the Senate.
In the APC, Abdulrazak Namdas (Adamawa), who contested and lost the governorship ticket; Mohammed Bago (Niger), who contested and won the governorship ticket; Shaban Sharada (Kano), who also lost the governorship ticket; and Abubakar Salame (Sokoto), who also lost the governorship ticket, will not be in the Green Chamber in 2023.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Ahmed Idria Wase, lead the pack of members who have so far got the nod of their parties to return to the House in 2023.
Unlike the PDP, all the principal officers of the APC in the House got their return tickets.
They are: House Leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa (Kano), Peter Akpatason (Edo), Deputy Chief Whip Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia), while Chief Whip Mohammed Mongunu is heading to the Senate.
Other ranking House members who got their return tickets include Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), Nicholas Mutu (PDP, Delta), Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), James Faleke (APC, Lagos), Abdulganiyu Johnson (APC, Lagos), Julius Ihonvbare (APC, Edo) Wale Raji (APC, Lagos) and Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP, Rivers).
Less than 140 members of the Eighth National Assembly, presided over by Yakubu Dogara, were re-elected into the Ninth Assembly in 2019 with majority of the members being new to the Green Chamber.(The Nation)
