Where is Senator Ibrahim Geidam?

The last has not been heard of Senator Ibrahim Geidam, former Governor of Yobe State who was elected Senator representing Yobe East Senatorial district in 2019 general election.

Senator Ibrahim Geidam who spent over 10 years governing Yobe State was last seen on 27th February, 2020 when he introduced a bill seeking to establish a fulfledged Commission for repentant Boko Haram fighters.

The controversial Bill titled: “A bill for the establishment of agency for education, rehabilitation, de-radicalisation and integration of repentant insurgents” was the only one to his credit in the last two years plus, but which was considered most nebulous and ‘evil intent’, elicited the widest outcry from Nigerians.

Since then, neither the bill has gone beyond its read reading on the floor of the Senate, nor has the former governor seen carrying out legislative duties since then, CAPITAL POST can authoritatively report.

The implication of Senator Ibrahim Geidam’s absence from the red Chambers in the last one year will cost Yobe East constituents which he represents, the benefit of dividends of democracy as he may not be readily available to push constituency projects to his Senatorial district.

It couldn’t be ascertined if he had met with the number of times a lawmaker was expected to be present for legislative debate in a year for 2020, but as finding continues, CAPITAL POST will publish an update at a later date.

The three Senators from Yobe State in the Ninth Nigeria’s National Assembly are, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan (APC Yobe North); Bomai Ibrahim Mohammed (APC Yobe South); and Ibrahim Alhaji Geidam (APC Yobe East).

Lawan who is the Senate President and his Yobe South counterpart, Bomai Ibrahim Mohammed are effectively representing their constituencies in the upper Chambers. By the position of Ahmad Lawan as the Senate President, he transmit bills and motions that were of interest to his constituents through his other colleagues or the Senate leader rather.

An indigene of Yobe who didn’t want his name in print and who didn’t disclose the Senatorial district he comes from lamented the situation of things to CAPITAL POST penultimate week at the National Assembly in Abuja, saying: “It’s unfortunate that some politicians are dragging state backwards.”

When asked if Senator Geidam is ill. He said: “Honestly, I don’t know. But for a sitting Senator to be absent from office for this long, it might be as a result of sickness, but you journalists should investigate”, he said.

It’s recalled that Geidam in the bill that hasn’t seen the light of the day wanted the agency to have two major functions, which are recreational and vocational. On the recreational platform, he wanted the agency “to organise sports and fine arts programmes with purpose of maintaining open lines of communication, which would be used to gain a greater understanding of both immediate needs for combating Boko Haram as well as serve as a tool for counter-radicalisation.”

Senator Geidam was governor of Yobe State during the formative stage of Boko Haram insurgents which started as a huge joke before they grew to become one of the most deadly group in the world.