Expert Kicks As Twelve Former Governors Join 10th National Assembly

The Director-General of the National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS), Prof Abubakar Suleiman, has kicked against the fact that twelve former governors made it to the incoming 10th National Assembly.

This is as former governors have been criticized for turning the national assembly into a retirement home after their tenure in office.

Naija News gathered that 12 former governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) won their senatorial elections for the 10th Senate.

The 12 former governors that made it to the Red Chamber include former two-term governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; outgoing governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello; former Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo; former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Governor of Abia State and current Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu; former governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson.

Others include the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio; former governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero; former governor of Gombe State, Danjuma Goje; former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau.

And out of the 12, five of them, including Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North); Akpabio (APC, Akwa Ibom North-West); Umahi (APC, Ebonyi South); Oshiomhole (Edo North), and Yari (APC, Zamfara West) are reportedly contesting for the seat of the Senate President.

Those returning to the house include  Orji Kalu, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central), Aliyu Wamakko ( APC, Sokoto North), Adamu Aliero ( PDP, Kebbi Central), and Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West).

The new addition of former governors now lawmakers are Umahi, Oshiomhole, Daniel, Yari, and Ibrahim Dakwambo.

Kicking against the development, Prof Abubakar Suleiman said something must be done to stop these former governors from turning the Red Chamber into a retirement home.

Suleiman told The Punch, “There must be a way to stop these governors from turning the National Assembly, especially the Senate, into a retirement home.

“I have said this on several occasions, and I am repeating it: they (former governors) have not been adding value to what they (lawmakers) do there. Look at the array of ex-governors there now, hardly will you see two or three that have really added value.

“Must you, after leaving the state government, come to the National Assembly as a senator? Is it a must? Are there no people in your constituency or state that can represent the people?

“As I said, some of them do it out of ego. They believe that if a senator is there (from their senatorial district), they have to bring them back and go there too.”

It would, however, be recalled that the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, had lamented the lack of skills of members-elect for the 10th NASS.

The Senate had complained that a lot of money would be required for the training of the lawmakers because of their inexperience and skills.

Lawan was quoted to have said, “And I use the word costly deliberately because what this means is that, the 10th Assembly, we must make provisions immediately for capacity building for new members of the National Assembly if we want to achieve our goals and set targets.

“Everybody is enthusiastic. Everybody is ready. We want to come in and continue to contribute to making Nigeria better. But the parliament is not like the executive.”