There’s no guarantee of
permanence or certainty in politics. Politicians come and go, the offices
remain. Several Nigerian politicians have held public offices in the past and
for one reason or the other, took a break. They, however, are always presented
with opportunities to return to office with each election era.
Below are five of such
politicians who took advantage of the 2019 election to re-establish their names
in the political space.
SEYI MAKINDE
Not once, not twice has Seyi
Makinde, governor-elect of Oyo, attempted to mount the political ladder of the
state—but failed. He has suffered many political setbacks. However, Makinde was
defiant, he did not give up on his dreams neither did he decline in his
ambitions.
In 2007, the electric engineer
contested the Oyo south senatorial seat under the platform of the All Nigeria
Peoples Party (ANPP) but lost to Kamoru Adedibu, son of the then strong man of
Oyo politics.
Makinde remained undeterred by
his first failed attempt. He defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
years later and sought the ticket of the party for Oyo south senatorial seat
but lost.
Again, he sought to contest the
2015 governorship ticket under the platform of the PDP. However, upon the
conclusion of the party’s primary election, he was denied the governorship
ticket. Subsequently, he defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), under
which he contested the gubernatorial but was defeated by Abiola Ajimobi, whom
he will now succeed.
There is time for everything and
when his time came, he ascended the highest political seat in the land,
defeating Adebayo Adelabu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), with a margin of 157,639 votes.
CHUKWUEMEKA IHEDIOHA
For Ihedioha, it was simply a
comeback to register his name in the political book of the era, after last
holding a political office in 2015. Ihedioha first won a seat into the house of
representative as a member representing Aboh-Mbasie-Ngor Okpala federal constituency
of Imo state in 2003.
He was the deputy speaker of the
house of representatives from 2011 to 2015. He contested the state’s guber poll
against Rochas Okorocha in 2015 but lost. Not giving up, he gave the seat
another shot in 2019 and this time, he emerged successful after polling
273,404. He defeated Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance, his closest rival and
son-in-law to Okorocha.
The crisis in the APC served as a
boost for the governor-elect.
CHRIS EKPEYONG
Once deputy governor of Akwa Ibom
under the tenure of Victor Attah, Chris Ekpenyong was in a historical move,
impeached in 2005. Though he was returned to his position in less than a week,
he was forced to resign afterward.
Since then, the native of Ikot
Ukana of Obot Akara local government area has laid low his political flag.
However, over a decade later,
Ekpeyong bounced back and contested as senator for Akwa Ibom north-west. His
was not an ordinary win as he defeated Godswill Akpabio, the “uncommon senator”
who was seeking re-election into the red chambers.
Ekpeyong polled over twice the
number of votes garnered by the former governor and senate minority leader.
IBRAHIM OLORIEGBE
Ibrahim Oloriege is, perhaps, the
biggest name brought forth by the 2019 elections. In 1999, Oloriege was elected
a member of the Kwara house of assembly under the All Nigeria Peoples Party
(ANPP). He held sway as majority leader till he left in 2003.
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| (Pictured left) |
Not only did he defeat Saraki, he
sent the senate president into legislative retirement for at least the next
four years and ruptured the Saraki dynasty in Kwara.
ABDULRAHMAN ABDULRAZAK
Still in Kwara, another soaring
name is Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Before Abdulrazaq was known in politics, he was
a household name in oil business.
The CEO, First Fuels Limited,
left the business for politics after the company suffered massive loss. At the
outset, he contested for governorship in 2007 under the Congress for
Progressives Change (CPC) and later for the Kwara central senatorial district
under the PDP but lost the ticket to Saraki.
Not deterred, Abdulrazaq held his
head high and stood his ground. His persistence and determination have finally
paid off. He contested and won the state governorship election, defeating Razak
Atunwa of the PDP.
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