Over 150 Reps lose re-election bids

Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal Speaker, House of Representative

The House of Representatives on Tuesday described as disturbing, the high number of lawmakers, who failed to win the primaries of their various political parties.

The House spokesman, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said “The high turnover is the bane of the development of our parliament,”

Findings by The PUNCH showed that over 150 members of the House did not make it in the primaries.

Investigations revealed that while a “negligible” number won the ticket of their parties to contest either a Senate seat or a governorship seat, the majority of the over 150 lost the primaries.

Among the few, who won to contest other offices in 2015 are the Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, who would be contesting the governorship seat in Sokoto State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, and his Deputy, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, who won the Imo State PDP governorship ticket.

Others are the Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Solomon Olamilekan, Mr. John Enoh   and   Uche Ekwunife, who will be vying for Senate seats in the 2014 elections.

“Flowing from a trend that has been noticed since 1999, it is expected that many more members will bid the House goodbye at the close of this term in May 2015,” a National Assembly source told The PUNCH in Abuja on Tuesday.


It will be recalled that after the 2011 polls, only slightly above 100 members of the House out of 360 returned from the 2007 set.

Source: Punch