Gbenga Ogunniya
Encyclopedia
Gbenga Ogunniya was elected Senator for the Ondo Central constituency of Ondo State
, Nigeria
on the Alliance for Democracy
(AD) platform, taking office on 29 May 1999. Switching parties, he was reelected in 2003 and 2007 on the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) platform.
, Washington D.C. and made a career in Marine Transportation.
Elected to the Senate in 1999 and reelected in 2003 and 2007, he was appointed to committees on Senate Services, Police Affairs (Chairman), Niger Delta and Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions.
In July 2008 the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure
nullified Ogunniya's election. Ogunniya appealed the decision.
He won.
In a mid-term evaluation of Senators in May 2009, ThisDay noted that he sponsored a bill to reform the Police Regulatory Board, but rarely contributed to debate on the floor.
In December 2009 Ogunniya and three other House of Representatives members were arrested by the police for allegedly being in possession of three ballot boxes stuffed with thumb printed ballot papers during the re-run election into the Federal House of Representatives for Akoko South West/South East.
The police also arrested about twenty thugs who had allegedly been hired by the Chairman of the senate committee from Kogi state, and twenty mobile policemen.
The Ondo State Commissioner for Information said the role played by Ogunniya was "unbecoming of men purportedly elected into high offices".
A spokesman for the lawmakers said they were not formally arrested, and the ballot boxes had been planted on them.
Ogunniya ran for reelection on the PDP platform in the 9 April 2011 elections, but was defeated by Akinyelure Patrick Ayo
of the Labour Party
, who gained 113,292 votes to Ogunniya's 41,783 votes.
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
on the Alliance for Democracy
Alliance for Democracy (Nigeria)
The Alliance for Democracy was a progressive opposition political party in Nigeria. It was formed on September 9th 1998. At the 2003 legislative elections, 12 April 2003, the party won 8.8 % of the popular vote and 34 out of 360 seats in the Nigerian House of Representatives and six out of...
(AD) platform, taking office on 29 May 1999. Switching parties, he was reelected in 2003 and 2007 on the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) platform.
Educational Background and Career
Ogunniya earned a BSc in Political Science from Howard UniversityHoward University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Washington D.C. and made a career in Marine Transportation.
Elected to the Senate in 1999 and reelected in 2003 and 2007, he was appointed to committees on Senate Services, Police Affairs (Chairman), Niger Delta and Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions.
In July 2008 the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Akure
Akure
Akure is a city in the southwestern region of Nigeria, and is the largest city and capital of Ondo State. The city has a population of approximately 387,087...
nullified Ogunniya's election. Ogunniya appealed the decision.
He won.
In a mid-term evaluation of Senators in May 2009, ThisDay noted that he sponsored a bill to reform the Police Regulatory Board, but rarely contributed to debate on the floor.
In December 2009 Ogunniya and three other House of Representatives members were arrested by the police for allegedly being in possession of three ballot boxes stuffed with thumb printed ballot papers during the re-run election into the Federal House of Representatives for Akoko South West/South East.
The police also arrested about twenty thugs who had allegedly been hired by the Chairman of the senate committee from Kogi state, and twenty mobile policemen.
The Ondo State Commissioner for Information said the role played by Ogunniya was "unbecoming of men purportedly elected into high offices".
A spokesman for the lawmakers said they were not formally arrested, and the ballot boxes had been planted on them.
Ogunniya ran for reelection on the PDP platform in the 9 April 2011 elections, but was defeated by Akinyelure Patrick Ayo
Akinyelure Patrick Ayo
Akinyelure Patrick Ayo is a Nigerian banker who was elected to the Nigerian Senate for the Ondo Central district in Ondo State in the 9 April 2011 elections running on the Labour Party ticket....
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Nigeria)
The Labour Party is a socialist/social democratic political party in Nigeria. In the 21 April 2007 Nigerian National Assembly election, the party won 1 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and no seats in the Senate. The Party's flagbearer in Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, emerged the...
, who gained 113,292 votes to Ogunniya's 41,783 votes.