▪︎ 162 seats in the kitty so far in the green chamber; needs 181 seats to assume commanding majority
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured the highest number of seats in the National Assembly.
The APC has so far secured 57 seats in the 10th Senate, while it has secured 162 seats in the House of Representatives.
THE CONCLAVE reports that whereas the APC enjoys simple majority (more than a half of the 109 seats in the upper chamber), it has yet to achieve the same feat in the 360-member House of Representatives where it has secured 162 seats, 19 seats shy of 181 simple majority.
If it gets any number less than 181 seats, it means it does not have a commanding majority in the House as a ruling party to sway decisions if the House needs to go into division over issues on or along government-party lines.
Alliance among the opposition parties can always be deployed in torpedoeing the positions of the ruling party in the House.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed these tentative numbers at a meeting with the Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja on Saturday.
Yakubu disclosed that winners have been declared for 423 National Assembly seats, noting that supplementary elections would be held in 46 constituencies.
He said 98 out of 109 seats had been declared in the Senate, adding that seven political parties won senatorial seats in the just concluded elections.
He stated that 325 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives had so far been won by eight political parties.
According to the INEC chairman, in the Senate, the APC won 57 seats; APGA – 1; LP – 6, NNPP – 2; PDP – 29; SDP – 2; while YPP won 1 seat.
In the House of Representatives, the APC won 162 seats; ADC – 2; APGA – 4; LP – 34; NNPP – 18; PDP – 102; SDP – 2; while YPP won 1 seat.
From the statistics, LP has apparently caused a historic tectonic shift in the political parties’ membership configuration in the National Assembly, the most significant by a pre-election underdog party since the advent of fourth republic in 1999.
Yakubu further described the 2023 National Assembly election as the most diverse since 1999.
The INEC boss added that the Certificates of Return wouldl be presented to Senators-elect on Tuesday, March 7 at the National Collation Centre in Abuja, while the House of Representatives-elect would receive theirs on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at the same venue.
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
