Saraki to contest for Senate seat after losing PDP's presidential ticket

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is set to seek re-elelection in the National Assembly as his name was submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the partys candidate to contest for the seat of Kwara Central senatorial district in the 2019 general elections.

Saraki had contested for the PDP's presidential ticket but came a distant third to second-placed Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and winner, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, at the party's national convention that concluded on October 7, 2018.

Before his loss two weeks ago, there had been a rumour making the rounds that the former Kwara governor was still keeping an eye on his senatorial seat in case he lost the presidential ticket.

The rumour gained even more momentum after there was some suspicious secrecy surrounding the winner of the ticket in the party's primary election for the Kwara Central seat.

In accordance with the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to submit the list of candidates for presidential and legislative elections next year, the PDP submitted its list to the commission on Thursday, October 18, and Saraki is reportedly on the list.

According to a report by The Punch, Saraki's name was used to replace the name of one Ope, whose name was initially filed as the PDP candidate for the senatorial district.

"Bukola Saraki's name is there (on the list). He's returning to the Senate on the platform of the PDP," a source told The Punch.

It was also reported that Saraki is being positioned by the PDP to be re-elected as Senate President, especially if Atiku defeats President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 presidential election.

Saraki's position as the head of the National Assembly has been under intense scrutiny since he dumped the APC for the PDP in July 2018 and his re-election hopes might be in jeopardy if the APC performs wll at next year's polls.

Saraki was first elected to the Senate in 2011 after serving two terms as Kwara State governor between 2003 and 2011. He was elected Senate President in 2015.