By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria’s Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki, has lost his bid to return to the Senate after two terms of four years each in the red chamber of the National Assembly.
The former Governor of Kwara State lost his seat to Mr Ibrahim Oloriegbe in the February 23, 2019 senatorial election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While Mr Saraki contested the Kwara Central Senatorial District seat under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Oloriegb flew the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Professor Olatunbosun Owoyomi from the University of Ilorin, who was the Returning Officer for the poll, announced on Sunday night that Mr Oloriegbe, who is a medical doctor just like the Senate President, polled a total of 123,808 votes, while Mr Saraki managed to garner 68,994 votes in the four local governments under the senatorial district.
He said with the results, the candidate of the APC is declared winner of the contest and is elected to represent the district at the National Assembly for a period of four years.
In 2011, Mr Saraki won the seat under the PDP, but in 2015, he picked the slot under the platform of the APC.
Since his return to the PDP last year, Minister of Information, Mr Lai Mohammed, has worked tirelessly to take over the political structure of Kwara State from the Senate President.
