Year in Review: List of Biggest Political Winners and Losers in 2022
Though the outgoing Year 2022 is not the general election year, some major off-cycle elections were conducted.
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The primaries for the 2023 general elections were also conducted in the outgoing year. As expected, winners and losers emerged from the polls.
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Here are the top winners and losers from Nigeria’s political scene in the outgoing year 2022.
The biggest political winners: Ademola Adeleke
In July 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ademola Adeleke, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), winner of the governorship election in Osun state.
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Adeleke secured 403, 371 votes to defeat his closest challenger and then-incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, who polled 375,027 votes.
Biodun Oyebanji
Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the 2022 guber election in Ekiti state.
Oyebanji polled a total of 187,057 votes to defeat his two closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Bisi Kolawole of the PDP.
Peter Obi
In May, Peter Obi made a shocking political decision which has now hugely turned out to be a good move; he dumped the PDP after buying the party’s presidential nomination form and travelling across Nigeria to woo the party’s delegates.
After numerous speculations, the former governor of Anambra state announced his move to the Labour Party where he eventually secured the presidential ticket.
Since joining the Labour Party, Obi has continued to enjoy the massive support of Nigerian youths who call themselves Obidients.
Bola Tinubu
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, against all odds, secured the presidential ticket of the ruling APC for the 2023 general election.
The former Lagos state governor defeated former minister Rotimi Amaechi, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and others to clinch the ticket.
Atiku Abubakar
Despite the strong agitations for the southern presidency and the pressure on the PDP to field a southern candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar clinched the party’s presidential ticket.
He also survived the political scheming of the likes of Governor Nyesom Wike, former Senate Bukola Saraki and other strong PDP politicians to emerge as the opposition party’s presidential candidate.
The biggest losers: Gboyega Oyetola
Despite being an incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola lost the 2022 governorship election to Adeleke.
He is one of the few Nigerian governors who were defeated in office.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan
The president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, began his journey in the National Assembly in 1999 when he was first elected to the House of Representatives to represent the Bade/Jakusko Constituency under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Lawan was re-elected in 2003 before he successfully ran to become Yobe North Senator in 2007. He was elected the new Senate President after the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly in 2019.
In 2022, the Senate president contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary but lost to Tinubu.
His hope of returning to the Senate was also dashed as he lost the ticket, after months of political intrigues and legal battle, to Bashir Machina.
Rotimi Amaechi
Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation, was one of the few shining stars in President Muhammdu Buhari’s cabinet.
He, however, resigned to contest the APC presidential primary which he lost to Tinubu. The former minister who used to be hyperactive has gone silent since losing the primaries.
Governor Ortom drums support for Peter Obi
Meanwhile, Peter Obi has continued to gain more ground as Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state described him as the best presidential candidate that can help deliver Nigeria from its challenges.
The PDP governor disclosed this during Obi's visit to one of the Internally Displaced Persons camp in the state on Christmas Day.
Commending the LP flagbearer for taking out time to visit them, Ortom prayed that God would bless Obi’s presidential ambition.
Source: Legit.ng
