Nigeria operates a bicameral legislature, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is responsible for representing the interests of the various states and ensuring a balance in legislative decisions. The Senate president is the presiding officer of the Senate of Nigeria, elected by its membership, and is second in line of succession to the Nigerian presidency, after the Vice President of Nigeria. In this article, TGNNews reveals 10 historical facts about Nigeria’s senate presidency.

As you may know, the office of the Senate President in Nigeria is a key position within the country’s legislative structure. The modern history of the office began after Nigeria became a republic in 1963. The first Senate President was Nnamdi Azikiwe, who later became the country’s first President. However, Nigeria experienced periods of political instability, including military coups and brief civilian interludes. During this period, the civilian legislative institutions, including the Senate, were often dissolved.

However since 1999, the dawn of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, civilian rule has been restored the country has experienced a series of general elections, and the Senate President’s office has been occupied by by various individuals based on political alignments and power dynamics. So with any further ado, Here are 10 historical facts about Nigeria’s senate presidency

Table of Contents

1. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was Nigeria’s first Senate President

Independence nationalist leader, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was popularly known as the “father of Nigerian nationalism”, the first President of Nigeria, and many other of his popular unprecedented political accomplishments. What many people don’t know is that Azikiwe was also the first Senate president in Nigeria. Following the Declaration of Independence on the first of October 1960 the coalition government of NCNC and NPC took over with Sir Tafawa Balewa as Prime Minister and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as Senate President.

Ultimately Azikiwe succeeded Sir James Robertson as the first indigenous Governor-General in November 1960, and eventually became the country’s first President, after Nigeria became a republic in 1963, though his role was largely ceremonial

2. Nwafor Orizu was the only Senate President of Nigeria ever to ascend to the Nigerian presidency through the constitutional order of succession.

Nwafor Orizu was a Nigerian of Igbo origin who served as President of the Nigerian Senate from 1963 to 15 January 1966, during the Nigerian First Republic. He was also the only Senate President of Nigeria ever to ascend to the Nigerian presidency through the constitutional order of succession, serving as the acting President of Nigeria from late 1965 until the military coup of January 1966. He was later forced to hand over power to the Aguiyi-Ironsi military junta.

After the coup, Orizu faded from the political scene but remained active in education. Before the civil war, he had set up a high school in 1950, the Nigerian Secondary School, in Nnewi. He remained its proprietor until the state government took over all the schools after the defeat of Biafra. After that he continued as a teacher and an educator, publishing several books.

3. Ameh Ebute is the shortest-serving Senate President in Nigeria’s history

Ameh Ebute is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Nigerian Senate during the end of the aborted Third Republic. He served less than 17 days in office before the Senate was dissolved by General Sani Abacha in November 1993, making him the shortest-serving Senate President in Nigeria’s history.

4. Evan Enwerem was the first civilian governor to become the president of the Senate.

Evan Enwerem was a Nigerian politician who served as the 7th president of the Nigerian Senate in 1999. He was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. He was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1999 to represent the Imo-East Senatorial Zone, ultimately becoming the first President of the Nigerian Senate during Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

Before this, Enwerem served as chairman of the Nigerian Airports Authority NAA between 1980 and 1983. He was elected governor of Imo State in 1991 during the failed Third Republic era of the Nigerian government. Enwerem did not hold the post of President of the Nigerian Senate for very long. He was removed from office on 18 November 1999, in an ouster spearheaded by his opponent.

5. Benue State is the only state to have produced 3 Senate Presidents

The Northcentral State, Benue State is the only state to have produced 3 senate presidents in person Iyorchia Ayu, Ameh Ebute, and David Mark. Iyorchia Ayu served as the 5th president of the Nigerian Senate in the aborted Nigerian Third Republic (1992–1993), on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was however impeached by the Senate not too long after he was elected as he was a strong opponent of the Interim National Government established after MKO was prevented from taking office.

Following Iyorchia Ayu’s impeachment, Ameh Ebute, another Benue State senator was elected to be the Senate President. His tenure was however shortlived after the Senate was dissolved by General Sani Abacha, who took over the government through a military Junta in November 1993. David Mark served as the 12th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2007 to 2015

6. Anyim Pius Anyim is the youngest Senate President In Nigeria’s history

The 9th president of the Nigerian Senate Anyim Pius Anyim, is the youngest Senate president ever in the history of Nigeria. He was elected Senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999 for the Ebonyi South constituency of Ebonyi State and was elected president of the Senate in August 2000 serving until 2003. The former Ebonyi State senator was born on 19 February 1961 making him 39- years old when he became the Senate President of Nigeria.

Under leadership, the legislative house probed the activities of the Mines and Power Ministry during the tenure of Chief Bola Ige. In June 2002, He attempted to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo but failed. In November 2002, Anyim indefinitely suspended Senator Arthur Nzeribe of Imo State due to an allegation of a N22 million fraud. He also set up a committee to examine the continued relevance of the Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

7. David Mark is the first and only retired military general to become Senate President.

Benue State Senator, David Mark served as the 12th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2007 to 2015. He was the Senator for Benue South senatorial district from 1999 to 2019 and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Before his senatorial career, Mark had a successful military career in the Nigerian Army. He attended the Nigerian Military School and then the Nigerian Defence Academy. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1970 and rose to the rank of a Brigadier General before leaving the military.

During the several military governments rule littered in the history of Nigeria. Mark held numerous political positions. He was the military Governor of Niger State from 1984 to 1986, and the minister of communication during the Military regime of Ibrahim Babaginda. He also held a political post as Chairman Abandoned Properties Implementation Committee in the Eastern region in 1976

8. David Mark is the first Nigerian Senate President to serve a second term.

As earlier stated David Mark was the 12th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2007 to 2015. He was the Senator for Benue South senatorial district and was elected to his position as President of the Senate of Nigeria on June 6, 2007. After finishing his tenure in 2011, David became the first person to retain the Presidency of the Senate and serve a second term. He and his deputy were re-nominated without contest.

9. David Mark is the longest-serving senate president In Nigeria’s history

David Mark was the longest-serving senate president (2007–2015) and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu was the longest-serving deputy senate president (2007–2019). During his long tenure, Mark led the review of the Nigerian Constitution, nd reportedly urged his colleagues to set aside their interests and focus on the interests of the Nigerian people. He also called Nigeria’s National Football Federation the “center of corruption,” suggesting that they may need to temporarily disband to allow for reconstruction.

10. Bukola Saraki is the first foreign-born Senate President in Nigeria’s history

Bukola Saraki is a Nigerian politician who served as the 13th president of the Nigerian Senate from 2015 to 2019. He is the first Nigerian Senate President foreign born Senator as, he was born in London, United Kingdom. Before his senatorial career, he had previously served as the governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011. He was elected to the Senate in 2011, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District, and then re-elected in the 2015 general elections.

As Senate President, Saraki campaigned extensively on health, food security, education, and the environment- arguing for strengthened laws on the cleanup of oil spills. He also pushed a motion in the Senate to end the fuel subsidy regime in Nigeria, which has been an excessive waste of the country’s national resources. Other motions and private member bills he has sponsored include the Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2012 and the Climate Change Commission Bill 2013.

10 Historical Facts About Nigeria’s Senate Presidency