Emmanuel Udende

Emmanuel Memga Udende is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who represented Ukum/Katsina-Ala/Logo in the House of Representatives before being elected Senator for Benue North-East in 2023, defeating incumbent Senator and former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam.

Udende holds a BSc and an LLB, and was called to the Nigerian Bar.

Udende was elected to the House of Representatives for Ukum/Katsina-Ala/Logo Federal Constituency on the PDP platform in 2011 and re-elected in 2015, before defecting to the APC in 2016 amid internal PDP leadership disputes; he lost his re-election bid to the House in 2019. In 2022, he won the APC nomination for the Benue North-East senatorial seat, and on 25 February 2023 was elected Senator, defeating incumbent Senator and former Governor Gabriel Suswam, whose subsequent tribunal challenge was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. He chairs the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes and serves as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Privatization.

Defeated a sitting senator and former state governor in a high-profile 2023 election and successfully defended the result through appellate litigation.

• 30 December 1960 — Born
• 2011-2019 — Member, House of Representatives, Ukum/Katsina-Ala/Logo
• 25 February 2023 — Elected Senator for Benue North-East, defeating Gabriel Suswam