About 90 serving senators, nine governors and one deputy governor have a mountain to climb in their quest for membership of the 11th Senate, investigation by The Nation has revealed.

The aspirants, who are all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have already appeared before the party’s screening committee in Abuja.

Many of them are now expected to test their popularity in direct primaries following stakeholders’ rejection of the consensus method arranged by some governors.

Sources said the leadership of the party prevented the governors from interfering with the nomination process.

It was gathered that the Presidential Supervision Team, apparently taking a cue from Section 87(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, even recommended the adoption of direct primary, especially where there is no consensus.

That section of the act provides thus: “Where a political party is unable to secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the purpose of a consensus candidate, it shall revert to the choice of direct primaries for the nomination of candidates for the elective positions.”

The APC flash points identified by the Presidential Supervision Team include Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Kwara and Kanostates.

Governors aspiring to be senators in the next dispensation are Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara); Hope Uzodinma (Imo); Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa); Bala Muhammed (Bauchi), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Baba Gana Zulum (Borno).

The only outgoing Deputy Governor with senatorial aspiration is Noimot Salako-Oyedele of Ogun State.

Some of the governors have tough battles ahead either during the primaries or at the polls in 2027.

While Governor Abiodun will be slugging it out with Senator Gbenga Daniel during the primaries for Ogun East, Gombe Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya will face Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (his predecessor in office); former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Usman Bayero Nafada of NDC and Mustapha Mohammed Aliyu of ADC.

For Governor AbdulRazaq, it is a straightforward contest between him and the PDP candidate who will be set against him by former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

On his part, Governor Abdullahi Sule, who narrowly won his reelection in 2023, has a tough task to overcome the challenge during the primaries from the immediate past Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Silas Agara for Nasarawa North, and a possibly bigger contest with the Social Democratic Party candidate and ex-Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, in the election proper.

“The problem with Nasarawa State governor is that he is from a minority tribe in a district populated by Nasarawa-Eggon people who are mostly Christians. It will be an interesting scenario,” a source said.

In Adamawa State, it is Governor Fintiri versus ADC and NDC candidates.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Muhammed has a match with APC and ADC candidates for Bauchi South Senatorial District.

Ogun State Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele has two formidable opponents in former Senator Gbolahan Dada and ex-Works commissioner Olayiwola Taiwo for the APC ticket in Ogun West Senatorial District.

Uzodinma under pressure to forgo senatorial ambition

The senatorial ambition of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is causing ripples in APC because he wants to occupy two elective offices at the same time.

It was learnt that the tension over his senatorial aspiration triggered the botched attempt to remove him as the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) on Thursday.

A highly-placed source said: “His fellow governors felt he was-overstretching his luck. He is the Chairman of PGF; he is a sitting governor; the chairman of Renewed Hope Ambassadors and he aspires to be a Senator to become the President of the 11th Senate.

“Most governors were angry with him, but they had to defer to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avert his removal. “

It was learnt that there is pressure on APC to prevail on Uzodinma to choose between being a governor and being a Senator.

A source said: “Hope Uzodinma wants a senatorial seat before resigning as governor.

“As at Friday, intelligence report indicated that the Deputy Governor of Imo State had been forced to resign and the letter was kept in view till after the National Assembly Elections when he (Uzodinma) would have emerged as senator.

“He will then put an amenable candidate in charge as the new governor and a relation as the new deputy governor.

“The plot has been on for a year when it was hatched in London with a former governor, who is now a senator.

“It was the intelligence report that made the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, to push for changing the Senate Rules in an undemocratic and unpopular way.

“He couldn’t withstand the audacious ambition of Hope Uzodimma to be a Senator and the next President of the Senate.”

On his part, Governor Abdullahi Sule, who narrowly won his reelection in 2023, has a tough task to overcome the challenge during the primaries from the immediate past Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Silas Agara for Nasarawa North, and a possibly bigger contest with the Social Democratic Party candidate and ex-Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, in the election proper.

“The problem with Nasarawa State governor is that he is from a minority tribe in a district populated by Nasarawa-Eggon people who are mostly Christians. It will be an interesting scenario,” a source said.

In Adamawa State, it is Governor Fintiri versus ADC and NDC candidates.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Muhammed has a match with APC and ADC candidates for Bauchi South Senatorial District.

Ogun State Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele has two formidable opponents in former Senator Gbolahan Dada and ex-Works commissioner Olayiwola Taiwo for the APC ticket in Ogun West Senatorial District.

Akpabio, Barau, Abbas may return as NASS leaders

There were indications yesterday that Senate President Akpabio, his deputy Jibrin Barau and House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas may retain their portfolios if reelected.

It was gathered that President Tinubu has given them a continuity assurance, which made Abbas to drop his senatorial aspiration for ex-Governor Ramalan Yero in Kaduna North.

A presidency source said: “The President has no plan to change his core team. These principal officers of the National Assembly may retain their offices.

“The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives is not included because he intends to contest for governorship.

“So, whoever is aspiring for National Assembly office should embark on wider consultations before taking a political plunge.”

90 Senators who want to return Senators seeking reelection cut across the APC, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Among them are Idiat Oluranti Adebule (Lagos); Wasiu Sanni Eshilokun; (Lagos), Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos); Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Hassan Dakwambo (Gombe); Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi); Garba Maidoki (Kebbi); and Adamu Aliero (Kebbi).

Others are Ned Nwoko, Delta North; Efe Dafinone, Delta Central; Emmanuel Udende, Benue North-East; Titus Zam, Benue North-West; Cyril Fasuyi, Ekiti North; Ahmad Lawan, Yobe North; Kaka Lawan, Borno Central. (The Nation, excluding headline)

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