Politics
NASS landlords – Lawmakers who have spent 20 years in Senate, House of Reps
Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, Nigeria has had four presidents – Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Each of the 36 states would also have had at least three governors within the period, but could be more if any of the governors spent only one term of four years. But in the National Assembly – the nation’s bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives – some lawmakers seem to be maintaining permanent seats in the chambers.
Interestingly, some of them have been in the parliament since 1999 and will complete their sixth term in 2023. Several members have been in either the House or the Senate or both since 2003, and they would have spent not less than 20 years in 2023 when the 9th Assembly winds down. The members belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. Some of them have also switched parties as part of moves to get re-elected.
Opinions are divided on which is better between having long-serving lawmakers and fresh lawmakers every four years. Some persons have argued that returning members have legislative experience and the institutional memory of parliamentary norms and processes.
Those who belong to the former group often cite the example of the United States’ parliaments with many long-serving lawmakers, while those in the latter often argue that the Senate is fast becoming the ‘retirement home’ for former governors and ex-ministers.
Mutu, a typical landlord at the Green Chamber
Representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency in Delta State, Nicholas Mutu has been in the House since 1999. He served as the chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission between 2009 and 2019 – arguably the longest time a member would head the same committee. Not one of the known names when it comes to debates on motions and bills, documents presented to the House Committee on NDDC by the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had indicated that Mutu is a serial contractor to the commission. While the Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo led committee was investigating mismanagement and fraud in the NDDC, Akpabio had alleged that National Assembly members, especially the previous leadership of the committee, were beneficiaries of contracts from the commission. A list the minister provided showed that Mutu had the highest number of NDDC projects listed against his name.
Lawan: From the green chamber to senate presidency
The incumbent President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has been in the National Assembly since 1999. He was first elected a member of the House where he spent two terms. There he represented Bade/Jakusko Federal Constituency in Yobe State. In 2007, he was elected a senator to represent Yobe North Senatorial District and has retained the seat since then. Lawan became the President of the 9th Senate in 2019. Currently, he is seeking to be the President of Nigeria in 2023, which would depend on the outcome of the presidential primary of the APC scheduled for Monday.
Gbajabiamila: From floor member to Speakership
Femi Gbajabiamila is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, serving his fifth term. He has been in the House since 2003, representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in Lagos State. The lawmaker was the Minority Leader of the House in the 7th National Assembly, and later Majority Leader in the 8th Assembly after his hope of becoming Speaker was dashed. Gbajabiamila has again secured the ticket of the APC to contest for a sixth term in 2023.
Ndume: Two-term Rep, three-term Senator
Since 2003, Ali Ndume has been in the National Assembly. He first represented Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency in Borno State for two terms; 2003 to 2011, and was in 2011 elected to represent Borno South Senatorial District at the red chamber, a seat he has kept till date. During his stay in the chamber, Ndume had attempted to be President of the Senate at different times. He was the Majority Leader of the House in the 8th Assembly but was sacked over his political stance against that of the then President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki. Ndume was replaced with Ahmad Lawan, who is now the Senate President.
Ekweremadu: The longest-serving presiding officer
The lawmaker representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, is serving his fifth consecutive term, having been in the Senate since 2003. He attempted to be President of the Senate in 2005 but failed. Senator Ken Nnamani got the position instead. However, Ekweremadu was the Deputy President of the Senate for three consecutive terms – 6th, 7th and 8th, spanning 12 years, a record time as a presiding officer in the National Assembly. The lawmaker had announced his retirement from the Senate in 2023. He joined the governorship race in Enugu but lost the PDP ticket.
Manager: A senator caught on his knees
The Delta South Senatorial District in Delta State has had James Manager as its representative since 2003. The lawmaker may not be returning with the 10th Assembly over his governorship ambition in Delta. A photograph showing Manager on his knees before a former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, an ex-convict and political godfather of the PDP in the state, had gone viral on the Internet about a year ago.
Ogor: Once upon an opposition leader
Leo Ogor has been representing Isoko-North/Isoko-South Federal Constituency in Delta State at the House of Representatives since 2003. He was the Deputy Majority Leader of the House in the 7th Assembly and Minority Leader in the 8th Assembly. Ogor’s exploits as leader in both majority and minority caucuses is on record, especially during heated debates with his then opponent, Femi Gbajabiamila, who was also Minority Leader and Majority Leader at different times.
Ado-Doguwa: From one Republic to another
Alhassan Ado-Doguwa is the current Majority Leader of the House. He was a member of the House in the botched Third Republic and returned to the parliament in the Fourth Republic to represent Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State in 2007. According to a document obtained from Ado-Doguwa’s office containing his profile, the lawmaker was said to have made history by becoming “the first Nigerian to be sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives immediately after completing his youth service.” Though he was rumoured to be nursing the ambition to govern Kano State, Ado-Doguwa is said to be one of the top contenders for the speakership seat in the 10th House, even though the election is still about eight months away.
Monguno: A serial speakership aspirant
Mohammed Monguno represents Marte/Monguno/Nganzai Federal Constituency in Borno State. He was first elected a member of the House in the Third Republic (1992/93) and returned to the House in 2007 under the current Fourth Republic. In 2015, Monguno contested the speakership but later stepped down for Gbajabiamila, who was the candidate of the APC. Monguno also lost his deputy speakership bid to Yusuf Lasun. While Yakubu Dogara beat Gbajabiamila to emerge as the Speaker, he kept Lasun as his deputy. Again in 2019, Monguno joined the speakership race and, again, stepped down for Gbajabiamila, who remained the party’s candidate for the position. He is the current Majority Whip of the House.
Gaya: From governorship to lawmaking
Senator Kabiru Gaya was Governor of Kano State in the Third Republic (from 1992 to 1993) on the platform of the National Republican Convention. He has been in the Senate since 2007, representing Kano South Senatorial District.
Abaribe: Alternating between executive and legislature
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe became the deputy governor of Abia State in 1999, with Orji Uzor Kalu as the governor. Due to his rift with Kalu over his (Abaribe’s) governorship ambition, the state’s House of Assembly moved to impeach him as the deputy governor three times – twice in 2000 and a third time in 2003. To avoid the third attempt being successful, he would later resign his position. However, Abaribe emerged as the lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District in the upper chamber of the National Assembly in 2007 and has been there since then. Until last week, he was Minority Leader of the Senate. The senator lost the PDP governorship ticket in his state during last week’s primary, he resigned his membership of the party and minority caucus leadership in the Senate. He has now joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance where he now has the ticket to seek a return to the Senate.
Dogara: A Speaker in majority and minority parties
Representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency in Bauchi State, Yakubu Dogara, joined the House in 2007. Under a controversial circumstance, he became the Speaker of the House in the 8th Assembly (2015-2019), then as member of the ruling APC. His emergence was controversial because he was not the choice of his party, the APC. The party had preference for Gbajabiamila. Dogara later defected from the APC to the opposition PDP while in office. Though he was re-elected as member of the House in the current Assembly, Dogara, who has not been seen on the floor of the House, defected back to the APC a few months ago.
Betara: The man in charge of appropriation
Another member of the 2007 set is Mukhtar Betara, who represents Biu/Bayo/Shani Federal Constituency in Borno State and currently chairs the House Committee on Appropriation. He was one of the speakership aspirants at the beginning of the current House. His constituents procured the N10m APC expression of interest and nomination forms for him to seek re-election to the House in 2023. He is being tipped by some persons to be the next Speaker.
Abba-Ibrahim: A family in love with lawmaking
Khadijat, the wife of former Yobe State governor, Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, has been in the House since 2007, representing Damaturu/Gujba/Gulani/Tarmuwa Federal Constituency in Yobe State. She was serving her fourth term in 2016 when the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), appointed her as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. On January 9, 2019, Abba-Ibrahim resigned from Buhari’s cabinet to contest for a fresh fourth term in the House and she won. Hers seems like a family in love with politics. At a point in time, she and her husband were in the National Assembly. Her husband was governor of Yobe State in the Third Republic – from January 1992 to November 1993. In the Fourth Republic, he became the governor again for two terms – from 1999 to 2007. In 2007, he represented Yobe East Senatorial District, where he was till the 8th Assembly which ended in 2019. Interestingly, Mrs Abba-Ibrahim contested against her stepson to clinch the APC ticket with which she is currently representing her constituency in the House.
PUNCH
In the now-controversial post shared on his social media page, Osborne wrote: “In a sane clime president Bola Ahmed Tinubu would’ve respectfully and honourably resigned. I’m of APC but truth be told.”
The comment quickly generated reactions online before the Akwa Ibom State Government moved to terminate his appointment.
In a letter dated June 2, 2026, the Office of the Political Adviser to the Governor announced his immediate disengagement.
The termination letter, signed by the Political Adviser to the Governor, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, stated that Osborne Ubong Okon had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.Politics
According to the letter, the decision was taken over actions the office described as disloyal.
“You are hereby relieved of your engagement as a Media Aide to the Political Adviser to His Excellency the Governor, with immediate effect and from today, 2nd June 2026,” the memo read.
The letter further cited “actions bordering on disloyalty” and the need to keep the office “purified” as reasons for the dismissal.
The office also issued a warning to members of the public and government officials regarding future dealings with the former aide.
“Any person having dealings with the above-mentioned former Media Aide in relation to this office of his former engagement does so on his/her own peril,” the statement added.
The development has sparked fresh conversations about the limits of political expression for government appointees and the expectations of loyalty within public service, particularly when comments are directed at the presidency.
Neither Osborne nor the Presidency had publicly responded to the development as of the time of filing this report.
The decision was taken during plenary on Tuesday at the Assembly complex in Dutse, the state capital, as the party continues to deal with the fallout from recent primaries.
The action comes amid a wave of suspensions across Jigawa APC following the recently conducted primary election.
Several special advisers and special assistants have already been suspended statewide over alleged anti-party activities from state level down to local government level.
Maigari, who doubles as the councillor representing Auyo Ward, was suspended after the House considered a motion by the Majority Leader, Lawan Dansure.
The motion sought disciplinary action against the lawmaker for conduct deemed harmful to party cohesion.
Moving the motion during the Assembly’s plenary session on Tuesday, Dansure urged members to support the suspension.
He said the House must act to protect the integrity of the ruling party ahead of 2027.
According to him, the actions of the Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
“His actions are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress,” Dansure told the House.
He argued that anti-party conduct at the grassroots level could undermine APC’s performance in future elections.
He said the House could not fold its arms while party discipline was being tested.
“Hon. Haruna Maigari is hereby suspended as Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council over alleged anti-party activities,” Dangyatin announced during plenary.
The Speaker also said the House remains committed to party discipline at all levels of governance in the state.
Dangyatin then constituted an investigative committee to look into the matter and report back within two weeks.
“The committee is expected to establish facts and recommend further action based on its findings,” he said.
The Speaker also directed the suspended lawmaker to hand over all official documents in his possession to the Deputy Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council.
He said the handover must be done immediately to ensure continuity of council business.
Meanwhile, the House also received a formal notification from Governor Umar Namadi regarding an official trip.
“The governor is billed to attend a two-day West African Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, Ghana,” the Speaker said during the plenary session of the Assembly.
Dangyatin, who explained that the governor’s foreign engagement will hold between June 2 and June 3, 2026, added that “the governor’s participation is aimed at attracting investment to Jigawa’s rice value chain.”
By Chinedu Sabastine
Mr. Samson Chukwu Nnamani has declared that he remains the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 election.
Nnamani made this known on Friday during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Enugu.
Reacting to allegations that he was suspended from the party before the PDP governorship primary election, Nnamani dismissed the claim, questioning how a supposedly suspended aspirant could participate in the exercise and secure votes.
“The purported claim that I was suspended is very funny. If I was suspended as they claim, how can they attribute votes for me during their kangaroo primary,” Nnamani questioned.
Represented by his Media Director, Dr. Buchi Nnaji, the PDP chieftain said his authenticity derives from the present recognition of the Abdulrahman-led faction of the PDP by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of which he is a member.
The clarification followed the emergence of multiple claimants to the PDP governorship ticket in Enugu State.
Nnamani insisted that the party was no longer factionalised following INEC’s recognition of the Abdulrahman-led PDP leadership, noting that the panel which declared him winner where sent from their headquaters, Abuja.
Nnamani expressed gratitude to PDP leaders and supporters whom he said turned out massively on Sunday, May 24, 2026, to elect him as the party’s governorship candidate.
He pledged to reposition Enugu State through infrastructure development, job creation and people-oriented policies.
“As the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Enugu State, I remain committed to the ideals of good governance, inclusive leadership, economic development, youth empowerment, quality education, improved healthcare and enhanced security for all residents,” he said.
He added that his aspiration was to build “a greater Enugu State where opportunities abound for every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, religion or social status.”
According to him, his administration would prioritise infrastructure development, industrialisation, support for small businesses and welfare programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
“We shall also review and remove policies and practices that are truncating the wellbeing, economic survival and social advancement of the citizens,” he stated.
Nnamani further called on stakeholders, party faithful, youths, women, traditional rulers and the people of Enugu State to join hands in building “a united, peaceful and progressive state.”
“Together, we can achieve the Enugu of our dreams,” he added.
The Presidency has reacted following the circulation of an alleged WhatsApp voice note in which President Bola Tinubu reportedly claims he begged opposition figure Peter Obi to step down ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The reaction came on Wednesday from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President.
Onanuga condemned the audio file, labeling it a fabrication and called for legal action against popular social media critic VeryDarkMan who shared it.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform.,” Onanuga tweeted.
In the viral video, VeryDarkMan used the alleged leaked audio to urge Nigerians to vote against President Tinubu’s reelection bid in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Recall that just days ago, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, President Tinubu secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a landslide nationwide direct primary election.
During that contest, Tinubu faced a lone challenger, Edo State businessman and APC chieftain Stanley Osifo. The President won with 10,999,162 votes from the 12,643,306 registered party members, while Osifo secured 16,503 votes.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 election, is widely expected to fly the flag for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Both Obi and Tinubu hail from the southern region of Nigeria and are set to face last year’s runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to lead the ticket for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of running the state like a personal family business.
Odii made the remark shortly after emerging as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election following the party’s primary election conducted across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Speaking to party supporters in Abakaliki, Odii said the 2027 election would be about rescuing Ebonyi from poor governance and restoring economic growth and public welfare.
“Ebonyi can never be consumed. Ebonyi can never be conquered. Ebonyi can never become a personal family business, and we are here for the rescue of our dear state,” he stated.
The PDP flag bearer pledged to improve the welfare of civil servants and teachers while promising policies aimed at reviving the state’s economy.
Odii also dismissed fears over political opposition ahead of the election, insisting that his focus remained the development and progress of Ebonyi State.
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