10th NASS: PDP’s presence diminishes in North Central
The 2023 general election in Nigeria brought about a significant political upset, particularly in the North Central region, as many political heavyweights were brushed aside by a tidal wave of change.
The most affected party in the region was the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which saw all of its incumbent senators lose their bids for re-election, with the exception of Abba Moro from Benue South.
The North Central region, comprising six states – Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, Niger, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – holds a significant number of Senate seats, with a total of 19 senators.
Before the 2023 election, the Senate representation from the region stood with the All Progressives Congress, APC, holding the majority in several states, while the PDP held its ground in others.
The pre-2023 election Senate composition in the North Central region was as follows: Niger: APC – 3; Kogi: APC – 3; Plateau: APC – 2, PDP – 1; Kwara: APC – 3; Nasarawa: APC – 3; Benue: PDP – 3 and FCT: PDP – 1.
However, after the 2023 election, the political landscape in the North Central region underwent a significant transformation. All incumbent PDP senators, except for Abba Moro from Benue South, lost their re-election bids.
As a result, the Senate representation from the region for the 10th Assembly stands as follows: Benue: PDP – 1, APC – 2; Kogi: APC – 3; Nasarawa: SDP – 2, PDP – 1; Plateau: PDP – 2, APC – 1; FCT: Labour Party – 1; Kwara: APC – 3; Niger: APC – 2, PDP – 1.
With this new composition, the PDP finds itself in the minority within the North Central region’s Senate representation for the 10th Assembly. The APC holds the majority with 11 senators, while the PDP has 5 senators. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has 2 senators, and the Labour Party has 1 senator.
Interestingly, since its formation in 1998, North Central has produced six out of the 14 PDP chairmen so far.
The PDP’s diminished presence in the North Central region’s Senate representation raises questions about the party’s future strategy and its ability to effectively influence legislative decisions in the region. It will be crucial for the party to regroup and rebuild its support base in order to regain prominence in subsequent elections.
In an interview with Newsmen, Edwin Onuh, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Benue State, expressed grave concern over the party’s dwindling fortunes not only in the North Central region but across Nigeria as a whole.
Onuh described the outcome of the 2023 general election as a harbinger of the PDP’s demise in the country.
He emphasized the proverbial notion that a house divided against itself cannot stand, stressing the urgent need for the party to regroup and strategize if it wishes to survive.
