Biodun Olujimi loses out on bid to become first ever female senate president after losing her Ekiti seat

SENATE minority leader Senator Biodun Olujimi has failed in her bid to become Nigeria's first ever female senate president after she lost her bid to return to the National Assembly after being defeated in the Ekiti South Senatorial District.

Senator Olujimi, 60, had been elected as the senate minority leader following the resignation of former Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio when he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Being the highest ranking PDP senator in the senate, Senator Olujimi had been front runner to become senate president if the party had a majority in the upper chamber.

With current senate president Senator Bukola Saraki losing his seat in Kwara central Senatorial District, Senator Olujimi's chances of becoming head of the legislature increased dramatically. However, to become Nigeria's first ever female number three citizen, she needed to win her seat and needed the PDP to become the largest party in the senate.

However, Laide Lawal the Independent National Electoral Commission's (Inec) returning officer in Ekiti South, declared that Professor Dayo Adeyeye of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the seat with 77,621 votes. He beat Senator Olujimi who only secured 53,741 votes.

Professor Adeyeye defected to the APC shortly before the 2018 governorship election, after the controversial PDP governorship primaries in which he was denied the right to stand. In what was an all round bad result for the PDP in Ekiti State, they lost all three senatorial seats and six House of Representatives slots.

For instance, incumbent Senator Fasina Abayomi of the PDP was also defeated by an APC chieftain, Olubunmi Adetunbi. Mr Adetumbi, a former senator, scored 60,689 to defeat Senator Faseyi of the PDP who polled 49,209 votes.

Also, Opeyemi Bamidele of the APC and a former member of the House of Representatives was declared winner of the Ekiti Central Senatorial District, defeating Obademi Adewale of the PDP.  While Mr Bamidele scored a total of 94,279, Mr Adewale polled 48,707 votes.

Under Nigeria's constitutional arrangement, the senate president is the number three citizen behind the president and the vice president. Never before in the history of Nigeria has a woman occupied any of these three offices.