2019_Nigerian_Senate_election

2019 Nigerian Senate election

Elections in Nigeria

The 2019 Nigerian Senate election were held in all 109 senatorial districts where voters elected senators using first-past-the-post voting. Most elections were held on February 23, 2019, with some elections running into February 24 while others had supplementary or rerun elections that took place at a later date. The last regular senatorial elections for all districts were in 2015.

Quick Facts All 109 seats in the Senate of Nigeria 55 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

2019 Nigerian Senate election

← 2015

February 23, 2019^{[lower-alpha 1]}

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elected members →

All 109 seats in the Senate of Nigeria
55 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party	Third party

Leader	Ahmad Lawan^{[lower-alpha 2]}	Bukola Saraki^{[lower-alpha 4]}	Ifeanyi Ubah
Party	APC	PDP	YPP
Leader's seat	Yobe North	Kwara Central (lost seat)	Anambra South
Last election	60	48	Did not exist
Seats before	55	48	0
Seats after	63	44^{[lower-alpha 5]}	1
Seat change	8	4	1

Winning vote share by constituencies

Senate President before election

Bukola Saraki
PDP

Elected Senate President

Ahmad Lawan
APC

The All Progressives Congress solidified its majority after nearly losing it to defections in 2018. The APC gained a net total of 8 seats compared to the pre-elections situation. The Peoples Democratic Party lost a net total of 4 seats compared to the pre-elections situation, notably with Senate President Bukola Saraki losing in his district of Kwara Central. Minor parties dwindled from 6 seats pre-election to a single seat, with the Young Progressives Party's Ifeanyi Ubah winning Anambra South.

Upon the opening of the 9th Nigeria National Assembly, Ahmad Lawan (APC-Yobe North) was elected as President of the Senate while Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta Central) and Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (APC-Kebbi North) became Deputy Senate President and Senate Majority Leader, respectively.^[1]^[2] Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP-Abia South) became the Senate Minority Leader.^[2]^[3]

Results summary and analysis

As the APC strengthened its hold on the Red Chamber, 44 seats flipped from one party to another with two dozen lawmakers losing re-election. Notable flips included all three seats in Kwara State where Senate President and APC-turned-PDP Kwara Central Senator Bukola Saraki lost his first election amidst the Ó Tó Gẹ́ Movement against the Saraki dynasty and the state PDP. In more perceived rebukes of political godfatherism and party switching, PDP-turned-APC former Senate Minority Leader and Akwa Ibom North-West Senator Godswill Akpabio lost^{[lower-alpha 6]} while all three Kano PDP candidates lost after outgoing Kano Central Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso defected from the APC to the PDP. Other major stories were the losses of other prominent senators: Binta Masi Garba (APC-Adamawa North), Victor Umeh (APGA-Anambra Central), Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba (APC^{[lower-alpha 7]}-Anambra South), Isah Misau (PDP^{[lower-alpha 8]}-Bauchi Central), Barnabas Andyar Gemade (SDP^{[lower-alpha 9]}-Benue North-East), George Akume (APC-Benue North-West), Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi (PDP^{[lower-alpha 8]}-Kaduna North), and Shehu Sani (PRP^{[lower-alpha 10]}-Kaduna Central).^[4]^[5]^[6]

As is common after Nigerian elections, a swarm of ligation followed the senatorial races with court and tribunal decisions changing results in the districts of Ekiti South,^{[lower-alpha 3]} Niger East,^{[lower-alpha 11]} and Sokoto South^{[lower-alpha 12]} along with one ruling changing all three Zamfara elections^{[lower-alpha 13]} and a rerun election being called in Kogi West. The Akwa Ibom North-West election was also annulled, albeit only in certain polling units, and a 2020 supplementary election held which confirmed Akpabio's loss. Prior to the elections, all Rivers State APC nominees were disqualified barring two incumbent senators running for reelection from contesting.^{[lower-alpha 14]}

↓
63	44	1	1
APC	PDP	YPP	Vacant

More information Parties, Total ...

Parties			APC	PDP	YPP	ADC	APGA	PRP	SDP	LP	Total
Parties											Total
Last election (2015)			60	48	—	0	0	0	0	1	109
Before these elections			55	48	0	3	1	1	1	0	109

	Results
	Incumbent retired		13	13	—	1	0	0	0	—	27
		Held by same party	7	4	—	0	—	—	—	—	11
		Replaced by other party	1 ADC senator replaced by 1 APC senator 9 PDP senators replaced by 9 APC senators 6 APC senators replaced by 6 PDP senators								16
		Result	17	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	27
	Incumbent lost renomination		8	3	—	0	0	0	0	—	11
		Held by same party	7	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	9
		Replaced by other party	1 PDP senator replaced by 1 APC senator 1 APC senator replaced by 1 PDP senator								2
		Result	8	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	11
	Incumbent disqualified		3	0	—	0	0	0	0	—	3
		Held by same party	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0
		Replaced by other party	3 APC senators replaced by 3 PDP senators								3
		Result	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
	Incumbent renominated		31	32	—	2	1	1	1	—	68
		Won re-election	24	20	—	0	0	0	0	—	44
		Lost re-election	1 ADC senator replaced by 1 APC senator 12 PDP senators replaced by 12 APC senators 1 PRP senator replaced by 1 APC senator 1 ADC senator replaced by 1 PDP senator 5 APC senators replaced by 5 PDP senators 1 APGA senator replaced by 1 PDP senator 1 SDP senator replaced by 1 PDP senator 1 APC senator replaced by 1 YPP senator							—	24
		Result	38	29	1	0	0	0	0	0	68

Result			63	45	1	0	0	0	0	0	108^{[lower-alpha 15]}