Suswam Gabriel Torwua

Gabriel Torwua Suswam (born 15 November 1964) is a Nigerian politician and former Governor of Benue State. He represented Benue North-East Senatorial district in the 9th National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Early life and education: Gabriel Suswam was born on 15 November 1964 in Anyiin, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State. In 1986, he was admitted into the Law Faculty of the University of Lagos. 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/Ukum/Logo Federal Constituency, and was elected on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He was appointed Chairman of the House Services Committee, then later Chairman of the House Committee on FCT. He was reelected in 2003. On 3 July 2003, he was appointed Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, and in August 2005, Chairman, House Committee on Power. In April 2007, he was elected Governor of Benue State. In November 2009, he spoke in favor of automatic re-election of political office holders who had performed well. He noted that politicking was a major factor hindering state development since Benue’s creation. Suswam ran again for a second tenure in the 2011 gubernatorial elections, securing 590,776 votes against Torkuma Ugba’s 499,319 votes. In the 2015 senatorial election, he lost to Barnabas Gemade of the APC. In March 2024, Suswam announced his intention to contest for the PDP chairmanship.