SUNNY-GOLI: FROM POLITICAL GRASSROOTS TO BAYELSA EAST SENATE AMBITION

Ohis Asein

Israel Sunny-Goli is a name I have come across for more than two decades, and his political journey is one that, for me, has been built through years of navigating the different levels of political leadership in Bayelsa State and Nigeria.

Long before becoming a household name in Bayelsa politics, Sunny-Goli was already active within the political structure of the state. He served as a Special Adviser during the administration of former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, before moving into elective politics. His journey took him to the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, where he represented Brass Constituency 1 from 2015 to

From the State Assembly, Sunny-Goli made the bigger leap to the National Assembly. In the 2019 election, he won the Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), becoming a member of the House of Representatives in the Ninth National Assembly. INEC's final candidate list confirms his candidacy for the APC in that election.

His political story, however, has not been without challenges. He sought re-election to the House of Representatives in 2023 but lost the Brass/Nembe seat to Marie Ebikake of the Peoples Democratic Party. But as politics often demonstrates, a setback in one election does not necessarily mean the end of a political journey.

2026 has now opened another major chapter.

Sunny-Goli emerged as the APC candidate for the Bayelsa East Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election after winning the party's senatorial primary. Reports from the primary indicate that he defeated the incumbent Senator, Benson Agadaga, polling more than 76,000 votes across Brass, Nembe and Ogbia.

The message on his campaign flyer is built around trust, consistency, grassroots development and people-first representation, with a stated ambition to pursue stronger advocacy, greater impact and higher standards of governance for Bayelsa East.

For someone who has watched Israel Sunny-Goli's political journey over the years, his emergence as the APC's senatorial candidate does not come as a complete surprise. He has moved through the political ladder—from adviser, to State Assembly member, to House of Representatives member, and now to the Senate race.

That experience gives him an understanding of both grassroots politics and the corridors of national power.

The 2027 contest will certainly be competitive, and elections are ultimately decided by voters. But one thing is already clear: Israel Sunny-Goli has positioned himself once again at the centre of Bayelsa's political conversation.

For Bayelsa East, the question now is whether the experience he has gathered across the years will translate into the kind of representation promised on his campaign platform.

The journey continues. The next destination is the Senate.