2019 poll: 10 major election outcomes that shocked Nigerians

Although the 2019 general election has come and gone, the
surprises that came with it have continued to remain the topic
of discourse among political pundits in Nigeria.
In every election worldwide, political parties and their
gladiators usually boast of victory but at the end of the polls,
the winners and the losers emerge.
The 2019 general election did not only come with surprises
but the most shocking was the collapse of some powerful
'godfathers' who were defeated at the poll by supposed
political lightweights.
Another shocking event that happened during the 2019
election was the total defeat suffered by all the senators that
defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
alongside with the former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In this analysis, Legit.ng lists some of the big losers and
winners during the 2019 general election:
1. Bukola Saraki
Before his eventual defeat on February 23, the former Senate
president, Bukola Saraki, was a strong man and godfather of
Kwara politics. He was the governor of the state between
2003 and 2011 before he was elected to represent Kwara
central at the Senate on the platform of the PDP.
He got his re-election into the Senate in 2015 after his
defection from the PDP with other governors of the party to
join hands with the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and others to form
APC.
Saraki irked the anger of the leadership of the party when he
connived with some senators elected on the platform of PDP
in 2015 and became the Senate president against the choice
of the party’s candidate - Ahmad Lawan, who is the current
Senate president
His betrayal of the party at the national level sparked crisis in
his state as members vowed that they would resist his
dominance of Kwara politics.

Former Senate president Bukola Saraki
Saraki’s defection alongside other former senators to PDP
some months to 2019 general election nailed his political
coffin in the state. This action led to ‘Oto gee’ - Enough is
enough revolution in Kwara state.
He was booed by the people of the state on several
occasions, an action that signaled his total rejection by the
political class in the state.

On February 23, Saraki’s political influence and dominance
were suppressed as he was roundly defeated by the candidate
of APC, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, in his bid for re-election into the
Senate from Kwara central.
Oloriegbe polled a total of 123,808 votes to defeat Saraki who
scored 68,994 votes in the four local governments of Kwara
central senatorial district.
In Ilorin West, Saraki’s stronghold, Oloriegbe polled 51,531
votes while the former Senate president 30,075 votes.
The election has, however, sacked Saraki from political space
in Nigeria. Only time will tell if the medical doctor turned
politician would bounce back in 2023.
2. Godswill Akpabio
The former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio,
who defected to the ruling APC some months before the
election, lost his bid to go back to the Senate to the candidate
of PDP, Chris Ekpenyong.
Before his defection, he was the political godfather in the oil-
rich state of Akwa Ibom, where he served twice as governor.
The PDP candidate got 118,215 votes to defeat Akpabio who
got 83,158 votes.

Former Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio
The former Senate minority leader lost his bid to further
represent Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district in the
National Assembly.
He was later made the minister of Niger Delta affairs by
President Muhammadu Buhari as a compensation for his
defeat.
3. Rabiu Kwankwaso
Although the former governor of Kano and political godfather
in the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, did not seek re-election during
2019 general election, all the candidates he supported were
defeated.
He was a dominant figure in Nigeria's most-populous state for
the last two decades and his Kwankwasiyya political group
has a large following not only in Kano but in other parts of
northern Nigeria. It is his second blow in recent times - he
tried to secure the PDP ticket last year to run for president,
but lost out to Atiku Abubakar .
The 62-year-old had defected to the PDP after falling out with
his former ally and successor, Governor Umar Ganduje.
4. George Akume
Former Benue state governor and former lawmaker who
represented Benue North-West senatorial district, George
Akume, surprisingly lost his bid to return to the Senate for the
fourth time.
Akume, the candidate of APC, was defeated by Orker Jev, the
PDP candidate and a former member of the House of
Representatives.
Jev polled 157,726 to defeat Akume who polled 115,422
votes.
Akume fell out with the state governor, Samuel Ortom, in 2018
when some communities of the state were ravaged by
suspected herdsmen.
5. Shehu Sani
The activist turned politician, Shehu Sani, defected from the
ruling APC to Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) when he could
not get APC ticket for the second term.
The APC candidate and ally of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of
Kaduna state, Mallam Uba Sani, defeated Shehu Sani and
others to win Kaduna central election on Saturday, February 23.

Former lawmaker who represented Kaduna central at the
Senate, Shehu Sani
While Malam Uba Sani, who was a former adviser to El-Rufai
on political matters, polled 355,242 votes, his closest rival,
Lawal Adamu of the PDP, scored 195,497 votes and Shehu
Sani scored 70,613 votes.
6. Dino Melaye
The former controversial senator who was recently defeated
during rerun in Kogi West by the candidate of APC, Smart
Adeyemi, defied odds on February 23, to come out victorious
in the election.
He defected with Saraki and others to PDP in 2018 and he
became the last man standing among the defectors to PDP
who did not lose his senatorial election.
Melaye had polled 85,395 votes to defeat Smart Adeyemi of
the APC who scored 66,901 votes.
His victory was, however, upturned by the Court of Appeal,
which ordered a rerun that was held on November 16, where
he was finally defeated by his main challenger, Smart
Adeyemi.
7. Abiola Ajimobi
The defeat suffered by the former governor of Oyo state and
candidate of the APC in Oyo south senatorial district, Abiola
Ajimobi, was another surprise that greeted the election.
The former governor, popularly called by the people of the
state as 'constituted authority' was beaten by the candidate of
PDP, Kola Balogun.
Balogun scored 105,720 votes to trump Ajimobi, who
recorded 92,579 votes. The PDP candidate won with a margin
of 13,141. The African Democratic Party (ADP) candidate, Soji
Akanbi, came third with 49,437 votes.
8. Yakubu Dogara
The former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu
Dogara, emerged winner of the Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro
federal constituency election in Bauchi state during the poll.
Dogara also defected to PDP some months to the election.
Before the election, it was believed that Dogara would lose his
re-election bid but the outcome proved otherwise.
He scored 73,609 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Dalhatu
Kantana, who scored 50,078 results.
9. Aminu Tambuwal
Another surprise during the election was the emergence of
former speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwal, as the winner of Sokoto governorship election.
He was elected the governor of the state in 2015 on the
platform of APC but defected to PDP some months before
2019 general election over irreconcilable issue between him
and his political godfather and former governor of the state,
Aliyu Wamakko.

Former lawmaker who represented Kogi west at the Senate,
Dino Melaye
Wamakko had vowed that he would end Tambuwal’s political
career at the poll but surprisingly, he defeated his former
benefactor and got his re-election.
Tambuwal got 512,002 votes to defeat his close rival and
candidate of APC, Ahmad Aliyu, who polled 511,660 votes.
He won by a small margin of 342 votes after the
supplementary poll.
10. Omoyele Sowore
Before the election, the presidential candidate of the African
Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, was confident that
he would win the poll if it's free and fair.
The 48-year-old activist believed he would win the election if
Nigerians were allowed the freedom to cast their votes for a
candidate of their choice.
He expressed confidence that Nigerians would not return to
the leaders in the PDP and APC who have failed them over
the past two decades.
Despite the claim that he had support of Nigerian youths, he
was roundly defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari at the
poll.