Invasion of senate by ex-governors worries group

A group under the aegis of Friends in the Gap Advocacy Initiative, has expressed concern over the growing number of former state chief executives who retire to the senate after their tenure as governors.Executive Director of the group, Mr. George Oji, who stated this in a statement issued in Abuja, on Sunday, said the trend, if not immediately halted, would lead to the complete hijack of the upper chamber by the former state chief executives.

Oji noted that the numbers of ex-governors rose from six in 2007 to 11 in 2011 while the recently concluded National Assembly poll had shot the figure to 16.

The ex-governors who would be inaugurated in the 8th senate on June 4, according to Oji, included, Theodore Orji (Abia); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi State); Jonah Jang (Plateau State); Adamu Aliero (Bauchi State); Isiaka Adeleke (Osun State) and Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto State)

Others are, Joshua Dariye (Plateau State); Kabiru Gaya (Kano State); Abba Bukar Ibrahim (Yobe State); Danjuma Goje (Gombe State); Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa State); Ahmed Sani (Zamfara State); Bukola Saraki (Kwara State); George Akume (Benue State) and Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara State).

Oji noted that experience had shown that, “once in the senate, instead of settling down to serious legislative work, the ex governors busy themselves from day one with the politics of the leadership of the institution.”

He said, “We are concerned that most of these former governors retire to the senate as a resting place as well as to continue to seek political relevance.

“We are also concerned that the invasion of the senate by these ex-governors has led to the loss of quality representation in the red chambers as the incoming governors have had to retire some of the very experienced and articulate lawmakers in order to attain their individual political ambitions.

“It is our further concern that rather than provide quality legislation in the senate, the former governors see the red chamber as a platform to play all manners of ethnic and regional politics.