24yrs on, Nigeria’s long-term public office holders cling to power

What is the attraction to public office, when it is clear that successive leaders at both the federal and state levels grappled with lots of complex problems, including rising insecurity, ailing economy, mounting debt and high unemployment rate, among others? Many have asked.

The answer to this puzzle may not be far-fetched as politics is like an addiction, which explains why it is difficult to stop people from venturing into it. However, there is no doubt that factors that propel people to seek for public office are diverse and some of them have common a thread.

Becoming a public office holder is financially rewarding as salaries paid to elected office holders and other benefits accruable are often too attractive to be ignored. This, perhaps, informs why some individuals, who have been within the corridors of power for more than two decades of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic are not ready to let go their grip on power.

While there is no doubt that some elective offices, particularly the legislature is not tenured, the fact that it is still unfulfilled dreams more than 24 years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, justifies the belief that individuals, who have been at the helm of affairs since 1999 have not only over-stayed their welcome but should not continue to recycle themselves.

Among those who hold this view, is a renowned professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi. The former presidential candidate had during the inauguration of the second term of the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari, in 2019, described politicians who spend more than 12 years in public offices as social parasites.

His words: “I despise people who live on politics. I think that people who make a career in life, based on politics, are doing society a disservice. I have said that nobody should hold public office for more than 12 consecutive years. You go from a commissioner to the governor, senator; you are a social parasite.

“You should come out of your hard work, make a difference for four to eight years and go back to what you do. If it is not like that for you, you are a parasite to society. The characters making it difficult to make progress are social parasites, who call themselves politicians.”

The concern over recycling of politicians, notwithstanding, a majority of those who have been in public offices since 1999, have returned to power.
New Telegraph x-rays these long-serving political office holders, who have returned to the legislative houses at the federal and state levels or have been nominated by President Bola Tinubu to serve in the Federal Executive Council.

The immediate past President of the Senate is among Nigeria’s Fourth Republic longest serving legislators, having been at the National Assembly since 1999. He chaired the House Committees on education and agriculture at different times.
After two terms in the Green Chamber, Lawan contested and won election to represent Yobe North in 2007 at the Senate. He was reelected for a second term in the 2011 elections.

He returned to Red Chamber for the third time in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was endorsed by the party’s leadership for the presidency of the 8th Senate but was upstaged by a former governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki.

Lawan returned to the Senate for the fourth time in 2019 and was elected as President of the 9th Senate. He contested the 2023 presidential primary of the ruling party but lost the ticket to President Tinubu. He, however, made a detour and ran for senatorial election, which he won to return to the Red Chamber for a record fifth time.

The former governor of Sokoto State has been on the political scene since the advent of the Fourth Republic. He started his political journey in 1999 as a Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to Senator Abdullahi Wali, who was the Senate Leader at the time.

By 2003, Tambuwal got elected to the House of Representatives to represent Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State. He went ahead to serve four terms in the Green Chamber under the platform of different political parties – All Nigeria People Party (ANPP), Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress (APC).

He capped his 12-year stint in the House of Representatives with the position of speaker, which he held between 2011 and 2015. After that, he contested and won the governorship of Sokoto State on the platform of the APC in the 2015 elections and against all odds was re-elected in 2019 on the platform of the PDP.

Tambuwal declared for the presidential ticket of the PDP ahead of the 2023 elections but later stepped down to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, secured the ticket. The former speaker, who later settled for a senatorial ticket, is presently the senator representing Sokoto South Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

Having spent unbroken 24 years in public office before now, another four years in the 10th Senate, will see Tambuwal spending uninterrupted 28 years in power by 2027, when the tenure of the 10th National is due to elapse.

Nyesom Wike

The immediate past governor of Rivers State began his political career as chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in 1999, a position he held until 2007, after being re-elected in 2003.
In 2007, he was appointed as Chief of Staff to the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi. He held the position till July 2011, when he was appointed as Minister of State for Education by then President Goodluck Jonathan.

Wike was promoted to substantive Minister of Education in September 2013. He, however, stepped down as minister to contest in the 2015 governorship election in home state, which he won. He was re-elected in 2019 for a second term.

He declared for the PDP presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 elections but was defeated at the party’s primary by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Wike polled 237 votes against Atiku’s 371 votes.
Following his loss, Wike accused party stakeholders from the South of betrayal him. His frustration worsened, when Atiku snubbed him as running mate and picked then Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Many thought that Wike performance at the shadow poll would earn him the party’s vice presidential ticket but that was not to be. As expected, he mobilized four other governors of the party and worked against Atiku in the presidential election.
His support for the candidate of the APC, Tinubu, has paid off, following his nomination as minister by the President even when he is not a member of the ruling party.

Wike, who has been screened by the Senate would be extending his 24-year stay in public office if he is confirmed.

Aliero has equally been on the political scene since 1999. He governed Kebbi State between 1999 and 2007 on the platform of then All Peoples Party (APP), which later metamorphosed to All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

After leaving office as governor, he defected to the PDP and was elected into the National Assembly, where he served as senator for Kebbi Central between June 5, 2007 and December 17, 2008, when he was appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by then President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He left office on March 17, 2010, when the then Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the cabinet. He, however, returned to the Senate after winning the Kebbi Central seat during the 2015 elections.

He was re-elected for a third term in 2019 on the platform of the APC, but was compelled to leave the party for the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election, when the then governor of his state, Atiku Bagudu, declared for the APC ticket for the Kebbi Central senatorial election.

Aliero, however, triumphed at the polls at the expense of Bagudu to return to the Senate for a fourth time thereby looking forward to 28 years in public office by 2027.

Aliyu Wamakko

Wamakko was elected as deputy governor of Sokoto State in 1999 and held the position till 2006, when he resigned to contest the 2007 governorship election, which he won. He had before then served as chairman of Sokoto Local Government Area (1986-1987),

He was re-elected for a second term in the 2011 elections and on completion of his tenure in 2015, contested and won election to represent Sokoto North Senatorial District.

Wamakko returned to the Senate after winning election in 2019 and presently in his third term in the Red Chamber.

Seriake Dickson

The former governor Bayelsa State served as chairman of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) in his home state between 1999 and 2000. Afterwards, he was elected National Legal Adviser of the party (2000-2002).

In 2006, Dickson was appointed as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice by the then governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

He later won election to represent Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State the House of Representatives in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011 for a second term.
In February 2012, Dickson was inaugurated as governor of Bayelsa State, having won the state’s gubernatorial poll in November 2011. He went on to govern the oil-rich state for two terms after which he contested and won the Bayelsa West Senatorial District election. The former governor is presently serving his second term in the Senate.

The former governor of Gombe State, who returned to the Senate for the fourth time, served as governor on the platform of the PDP between 2003 and 2011. He had before then served as Minister of State, Power and Steel from 1999 to 2001 under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

On leaving office in 2011, he headed for the Senate, having won election on the platform of the PDP to represent Gombe Central Senatorial District. He was re-elected in 2015, 2019 and 2023 on the platform of APC.

George Akume

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) is former two-term governor of Benue State. He was first elected as governor in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003, on the platform of the PDP.

Akume was elected into the Senate to represent Benue North-West Senatorial District after leaving office in 2007. He was re-elected as senator on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 elections.

He returned to the Senate for the third time in 2015 on the platform of the APC and served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Army and a ranking member of the Senate.

In 2019, he lost his bid to the Red Chamber for a fourth time to Orker Jev of the PDP. He was however appointed as the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs by then President Muhammadu Buhari on 21st August 2019.
It was believed that Akume will take a break from public office as he did not vie for any elective position during the 2023 elections, but President Tinubu, on June 2, appointed him as the SGF.

Ganduje was deputy to former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso between 1999 and 2003. Even when Kwankwaso lost his re-election bid in 2003 and was appointed as Minister of Defence by then President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ganduje as Special Adviser (Political) to Kwankwaso. He later served as Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission in Ndjamena, Chad.

Between 2011 and 2015, he was deputy governor, when Kwankwaso was re-elected as governor. He succeeded his principal in 2015 and went on to serve as governor for two terms.

Ganduje opted for a seat in the Senate ahead of the 2023 elections, when he realised that a northern presidential candidate for the APC was not feasible.
He plotted to replace the senator representing Kano North Senatorial District, Barau Jibrin (now Deputy President of the Senate) relying on his control of Kano APC structure but his senatorial bid was resisted by members of the party, who maintained that he cannot anoint his deputy as the governorship candidate and at the same time pick the party’s senatorial ticket for Kano North.

To avert throwing the party into crisis, especially with Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) waiting to cash-in on a possible implosion in the APC to take over Kano in the elections, Ganduje quickly forfeited his senatorial ambition.

Although his anointed candidate lost the gubernatorial election to his NNPP counterpart, Ganduje was last week confirmed as the new National Chairman of the APC by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC). He replaced Abdullahi Adamu, who resign recently.

Nicholas Mutu

The member representing Bomadi/Patani federal constituency of Delta State at the House of Representatives is the longest serving legislator in the Green Chamber.

He was first elected into House of Representatives in 1999 on the platform of the PDP and won re-election bids in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023.

He had before the advent of the Fourth Republic served as chairman of Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State between 1996 and 1997.
Mutu has served in various House Committees, including Banking and Currency, Niger Delta, Governmental Affairs, Sports, Federal Capital Territory and Niger Delta Development Commission Committee.

Abdul’aziz Yari

Yari began his political career in 1999, when he served as Secretary of the then All Peoples Party (ANPP) in Zamfara State, a position he held till 2003, when he was elected chairman of the party in the state.

He later rose to the position of ANPP National Financial Secretary and served in the position till 2007, when he was elected into the House of Representatives to represent Anka/Talata Mafara federal constituency (2007-2011).

Yarii was emerged as governor of Zamfara State in 2011 and was re-elected for a second term in 2015. Before leaving office in 2019, he contested and won the senatorial election to represent Zamfara West Senatorial District but his hope of making it to the Red Chamber of the National Assembly was dashed by the Supreme Court, which nullified all APC primary elections in Zamfara State for the 2019 election.

Yari is however back to the public office as the senator representing Zamfara West Senatorial District.

Mudashiru Obasa

The member representing Agege 1 state constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, recently made history when he was reelected as speaker of the House for the third time.

Obasa is also the longest serving member of the House. He was first elected into the state Assembly in Assembly in 2003 although he started his political journey from the local government level in 1999, when he contested and won a councillorship seat in Agege Local Government Area under the platform of the then Alliance for Democracy (AD).

He was first elected speaker of the Lagos Assembly in 2015. Returning to the state Assembly in 2019, he retained the speakership position in the Ninth Assembly.

Ahead of the 2023 polls, the belief was that Obasa will run for a senatorial seat but he was urged by his constituents to return to the Lagos State legislature.

(New Telegraph)