Gabriel Torwua Suswam (born 15 November 1964) is a Nigerian politician and former governor of
Benue State
Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...
. He is a Senator of the 9th assembly, of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Early life and education
Gabriel Suswam was born on 15 November 1964 in
Anyiin,
Logo
A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wo ...
Local Government Area of Benue State. In 1986, he was admitted into the Law Faculty of the
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...
. He obtained an LL.B degree in 1989, and the BL Certificate from the
Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1990. He was called to the Bar that year. He worked for other law firms from 1990 to 1994, while continuing his studies. In 1994 he launched his own law firm.
Political career
In the 1999 election, he ran for office in the House of Representatives for the
Katsina-Ala
Katsina-Ala is a Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Katsina-Ala where the A344 highway starts. It is also the location of an important archeological site where artifacts of the Nok culture hav ...
/
Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency, and was elected on the
People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
He was appointed Chairman of the House Services Committee, and later Chairman, House Committee on FCT. He ran again, and was reelected in 2003. On 3 July 2003, he was appointed Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, then in August, 2005 he was appointed Chairman, House Committee on Power.
[
In April 2007 he was elected Governor of ]Benue State
Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is t ...
.
In November 2009, he spoke in favor of automatic re-election of all political office holders who exemplified themselves in the discharge of their responsibilities.
In a separate interview, he said politicking was the major factor militating against the development of the state since its creation.Action Congress of Nigeria
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), formerly known as Action Congress (AC), was a Nigerian political party formed via the merger of a faction of Alliance for Democracy, the Justice Party, the Advance Congress of Democrats, and several othe ...
(ACN), who got 499,319 votes.[
On the 28 March 2015 general elections, Gabriel Torwua Suswam lost the senatorial seat election to Chief Barnabas Gemade of All Progressives Congress (APC).
]
Personal life
Gabriel Suswam is married to architect Yemisi Suswam.
See also
* List of governors of Benue State
References
DSS detains ex-governor Suswam over SMG, AK-47, pistol: http://www.thekillerpunch.com/dss-detains-ex-governor-suswam-smg-ak-47-pistol/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suswam, Gabriel
Living people
1964 births
Governors of Benue State
People from Benue State
Peoples Democratic Party state governors of Nigeria
University of Lagos alumni
Nigerian Law School alumni