Four New Senators Take Oath, Ending Vacancies In National Assembly
The Senate on Tuesday swore in four newly elected lawmakers, bringing the National Assembly back to its full constitutional strength of 109 senators.
The new senators—Olaka Nwogu (PDP, Rivers South East), Envulu Anza (APC, Nasarawa North), Ikeje Asogwu (APC, Enugu North), and Dayo Faduyile (APC, Ondo South)—were inaugurated by Senate President Godswill Akpabio following their victories in the recent bye-elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Their emergence fills the vacancies created by the deaths of three former senators and the appointment of another to a diplomatic position.
Senator Nwogu was elected to represent Rivers South-East following the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi.
In Nasarawa North, Senator Anza succeeded the late Senator Godiya Akwaashiki, while Senator Asogwu emerged as the replacement for the late Senator Okechukwu Ezea in Enugu North.
For Ondo South, Senator Faduyile won the seat vacated by former senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who was appointed Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Administering the oath of office, Akpabio congratulated the lawmakers and urged them to prioritise national development and the welfare of their constituents.
He advised them to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders, as amended in 2023, to effectively discharge their legislative duties.
“With your inauguration today, the Senate has attained its full constitutional membership,” Akpabio said, while encouraging the lawmakers to place national interest above partisan considerations.
The current composition of the Senate stands at 88 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), nine from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), five from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), four from the NDC, and one each from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Accord Party, and Labour Party (LP).
Earlier, INEC presented certificates of return to the newly elected senators. Representing the INEC Chairman, Supervising National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu congratulated the lawmakers and urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by their constituents through diligent and effective representation.
The swearing-in ceremony officially ends all existing vacancies in the Senate, restoring the National Assembly to its full complement of lawmakers.
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