Patrick Osakwe

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Patrick Enebeli Osakwe

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| office = Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Delta State

| term_start = May 1999

| term_end = May 2011

| predecessor =

| successor = Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa

| constituency = Delta North

| majority =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1948|8|11|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nigeria

| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|3|15|1948|8|11|df=y}}

| death_place = London, England

| nationality = Nigerian

| party = Accord

| spouse =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater = University of Benin and Ambrose Ali University Ekopma

| occupation = Businessman

| profession = Legal Practitioner, Politician

| religion =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Patrick Enebeli Osakwe (11 August 1948 – 15 March 2022) was a Nigerian senator who represented Delta North Senatorial District in Delta State on the platform of Accord Party. He became a member of the Nigerian Senate in 1999, and was re-elected in 2003 and 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.nassnig.org/senate/member.php?senator=46 |title=Sen. Patrick Enebeli Osakwe |publisher=National Assembly of Nigeria |access-date=31 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607075218/http://www.nassnig.org/senate/member.php?senator=46 |archive-date=7 June 2008 }}

Personal life

Osakwe was born on 11 August 1948. He was from Ugili-Amai in Ndokwa-west L.G.A of Delta State Nigeria. Osakwe obtained a B.Sc, M.Sc, LLB and BL from University of Benin.

He died in London on 15 March 2022, at the age of 73.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunnewsonline.com/gbagi-mourns-as-sen-osakwe-dies-at-73/|title = Gbagi mourns as Sen. Osakwe dies at 73|date = 16 March 2022}}

Senate career

image:NigeriaDelta.png in Nigeria]]

Osakwe was elected to the Senate for the Delta North constituency in 1999.

In October 2002, when there was a plan to impeach President Olusegun Obasanjo, he said that senators should not sign the impeachment document without first consulting their electorates.{{cite web

|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-26139107_ITM

|title=Senator Osakwe Tasks MPs Over Obasanjo's Impeachment

|date=2 October 2002

|publisher=Vanguard

|author=Sola Adebayo

|access-date=31 October 2009}}

Shortly before the April 2003 elections, Osakwe denied being among the senators who endorsed the amendment of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) Act.{{cite web

|url=http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20030320news29.html

|title=Osakwe Denies Involvement in ICPC Bill Passage

|author=Jaiyeoba Andrew

|date=20 March 2003

|publisher=This Day

|access-date=31 October 2009

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705233922/http://www.thisdayonline.com/news/20030320news29.html

|archive-date=5 July 2009

|url-status=dead

}}

He was reelected in 2003 as candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), despite a poor reputation for contributing to debates or motions in the upper chamber.{{cite web

|url = http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/01/18/20030118pol03.html

|title = Delta Senatorial Contest: The Actors, the Props

|author = Eddy Odivwri

|date = 18 January 2003

|publisher = This Day

|access-date = 31 October 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041227035901/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2003/01/18/20030118pol03.html

|archive-date = 27 December 2004

}}

He was elected again in 2007 representing the Accord party. He was appointed to committees on Gas, Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions, Appropriation, Niger Delta and Senate Services.

In a January 2008 debate over the proposed Freedom of Information Bill, Osakwe asked why the bill was not signed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He noted that the act had to comply with the Official Secrets Act.{{cite web

|url=http://www.mediarightsagenda.org/mrmonitor/Jan_2008/foibsen2nd.html

|title=FOI Bill Moves Ahead in the Senate

|publisher=Media Rights Agenda

|access-date=31 October 2009

|archive-date=24 July 2008

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724162339/http://mediarightsagenda.org/mrmonitor/Jan_2008/foibsen2nd.html

|url-status=dead

}}

In May 2008, the Election Petition Tribunal in Asaba struck out a petition against the election of the Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan and Patrick Osakwe.{{cite web

|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200805290782.html

|title=Tribunal Upholds Uduaghan, Osakwe's Election

|date=29 May 2008

|publisher=This Day

|access-date=31 October 2009}}

The PDP candidate Mirian Comfort Ali had asserted that the Accord party did not validly present Patrick Osakwe as candidate for the election.{{cite web

|url = http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/24092008/24092008/news/national/news5.html

|title = Tribunal dismises Ali's petition against Sen Osakwe

|date = 24 September 2008

|publisher = Nigerian Observer

|access-date = 31 October 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110714183338/http://www.nigerianobservernews.com/24092008/24092008/news/national/news5.html

|archive-date = 14 July 2011

}}

In July 2009, Osakwe, Deputy Chairman of the Senate committee on Gas, condemned the "over involvement" of the Federal Government in the oil and gas sector at a Delta State meeting to discuss the National Gas Master Plan.{{cite web

|url = http://news.onlinenigeria.com/templates/?a=6203

|title = Six foreign investors indicate interest in Delta

|date = 21 July 2009

|author = Emma Amaize

|publisher = Online Nigeria

|access-date = 31 October 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120225040700/http://news.onlinenigeria.com/templates/?a=6203

|archive-date = 25 February 2012

}}