Some All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors would vacate their seats, and a successor would be declared in their stead following the 2023 governorship elections....CONTINUE READING
247Updates reports that governorship elections were held across 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states on Saturday, March 18, 2023. The governorship and state assembly elections were held two weeks after the conduct of presidential and national assembly elections……CONTINUE READING
For the just-concluded gubernatorial election, states involved are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara.
However, of the 28 states, 11 have serving governors who sought reelection, while 17 are outgoing governors in the final weeks of their constitutional two-term limits of eight years, having been sworn in on May 29, 2015.
Below is the list of all outgoing PDP and APC governors and their successors.
Nyesom Wike – PDP
The Rivers State Governor has served his constitutional two-term limits of eight years, having been sworn in on May 29, 2015. Recall that Wike led a group of five aggrieved PDP governors to rebel against their party’s national leadership and presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The group tagged G5, or the Integrity Group, refused to support Atiku in the presidential election after their demand to have the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, sacked fell on deaf ears.
Wike’s Successor: The candidate of the PDP, Siminaliayi Fubara, was declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship election.
Fubara earned the right to succeed Wike after polling 302,614 votes to defeat his major rival, Tonye Cole of the APC, who scored 95,274 votes.
According to INEC Returning Officer for the Rivers State election, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Magnus Abe, and Labour Party’s Beatrice Itubo came a distant third and fourth with 46,981 and 22,224 votes, respectively.
Okezie Ikpeazu – PDP
Ikpeazu was elected as Governor of Abia State on 29 May 2023 and reelected in 2019 after serving his first four years. The PDP chieftain has also enjoyed the privileged two terms in office and can only seek other positions.
Ikpeazu’s Successor: Inconclusive election.
Ben Ayade – APC
Having previously served as a Senator for Cross Rivers North from 2011 to 2015, Ayade Benedict Bengiuoshuye was elected as Cross River state governor in 2015. He got reelection also in 2019 and has now served two terms.
Ayade’s Successor: The fierce contest in Cross River State ended in favour of the candidate of the APC, Bassey Otu.
The Returning Officer for Cross River State, Prof Teddy Adias, announced Otu as the state’s governorship election winner at INEC headquarters in Calabar. According to him, the APC candidate polled 258,619 votes ahead of his opponent in the PDP, who scored 179,619.
Udom Emmanuel – PDP
Emmanuel contested the Akwa Ibom State governorship seat on May 29, 2015, and won. He also won reelection in 2019 on the platform of the PDP, the party which brought him to power.
Emmanuel’s Successor: Naija News reports that the candidate of the PDP, Umo Eno, was declared the winner of the Akwa Ibom State governorship election.
Eno polled 354,348 to defeat his closest rivals — Akanimo Udofia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 129,602 votes and Labour Party (LP)’s Uduakobong, who got 4,746 votes.
Ifeanyi Okowa – PDP
Okowa was the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in the just concluded presidential elections. Governor Okowa is on count down to vacating his seat as Delta State governor, having served two terms since he was elected in 2015.
Okowa’s Successor: The incumbent Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, polled 360,234 on the March 18 governorship election to defeat the Deputy Senate President and candidate of the APC, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Omo-Agege polled 240,229 to come second ahead of Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, Deacon Ken Pela, who scored 48,047, Naija News understands.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi – PDP
Ugwuanyi was elected into office in Enugu State on May 29, 2015. The now 59-year-old politician got reelected in 2019 and has served his two terms of constitutional rights also.
Ugwuanyi’s Successor: Inconclusive election.
Dave Umahi – APC
Umahi is one of the APC governors who have enjoyed eight years in power. He had previously served as Deputy Governor of Ebonyi state from 2011 to 2015 before he contested the governorship seat in 2015 and won. He is also on the countdown to vacate the office.
Umahi’s Successor: Candidate of the APC, Francis Nwifuru, will succeed Umahi after he was declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in Ebonyi State.
Declaring the result at the INEC State Headquarters in Abakaliki, the State Returning Officer, Prof Charles Igwe, said Nwifuru polled 199,131 votes cast across the 13 local governments in the State while Ifeanyi Odii of the PDP scored 80,191 votes to place second.
Aminu Masari – APC
Masari, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007, won the Katsina State governorship election in 2015. The APC chieftain has since served his two terms in office.
Masari’s Successor: The candidate of the APC, Dikko Umar Radda, was declared the winner of the Saturday election by the state’s INEC official.
Radda polled 859,892 votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yakubu Lado, scored 486,620 votes.
Samuel Ortom – PDP
Governor Ortom is a member of the PDP G5 group that campaigned against Atiku during the presidential election. Ortom was elected as Governor of Benue State in 2015, got reelected in 2019, and has served his two terms of eight years by the constitution.
Naija News reports that the 61-year-old politician contested the Benue North West senatorial election during the February 25th election and lost to his former aide, Titus Zam of the APC.
Zam was declared the Benue North West senatorial district winner by the INEC Returning officer, Prof. Rufus Shaato.
Shaato said Zam scored 143,151 votes to emerge winner of the election as against Ortom, who polled a total of 106,882 votes to come second, while the Labour Party candidate, Mark Gbillah, had 51,950 votes.
Ortom’s Successor as Benue Governor: Candidate of the APC, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, emerged winner of the Benue State governorship election.
In a bid to succeed Ortom, Alia scored the highest votes to beat his closest rival in the PDP, Engr. Titus Uba, with a margin of 251,020 votes.
According to the Returning Officer for Governorship Election in Benue, Prof. Adamu Farouk Kuta, Alia polled 473,933 to lead Uba, who had 223,913. At the same time, Labour Party’s Heman Hembe trailed behind them with 41,881 votes.
Nasir El-Rufai – APC
El-Rufai is one of the top chieftains of the ruling APC. He became Governor of Kaduna State in 2015. El-Rufai won reelection in 2019 and has also completed his two terms in office and is expected to vacate office in a few weeks for his successor.
The now 63-year-old politician served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007; and the Bureau of Public Enterprises director.
El-Rufai’s Successor in Kaduna: The keenly contested election in Kaduna ended in favour of the APC candidate, Senator Uba Sani, Naija News reports.
Sani was declared the Kaduna State governorship election winner after scoring the highest votes to defeat his PDP counterpart, Isa Ashiru, and other candidates.
INEC announced that Sani polled 730,002 votes to defeat Ashiru, who polled 719,196 votes.
Aminu Tambuwal – PDP
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has also served his two terms in office and is one of the outgoing governors.
Tambuwal’s Successor: There was a power shift in Sokoto State as APC swept the governorship election in the state. INEC, on Monday, March 20, declared Ahmed Aliyu of the APC as the winner of the March 18th governorship election in Sokoto State.
Naija News understands that Aliyu won with a total of 453661 votes to defeat his closest rival, Saidu Umar of the PDP, who polled a total vote of 404632.
Abubakar Badaru – APC
Mohammed Badaru Abubakar emerged as the 4th democratically elected Governor of Jigawa State in 2015. He contested again and won reelection on the platform of the APC in 2019, completing his two terms in the next few weeks.
Badaru’s Successor in Jigawa: Based on INEC’s declaration, APC maintain leadership in Jigawa State as its candidate, Alhaji Namadi, won Satuday’s gubernatorial election with 618,449 votes to defeat his PDP rival, Mustapha Sule Lamido, votes, who scored 368,726 votes.
Abdullahi Ganduje – APC
Ganduje has come to the final weeks of his second tenure as Governor of Kano State. Having been sworn in on the APC platform on May 29, 2015, Ganduje has now served his constitutional two-term limits of eight years.
Ganduje’s Successor as Kano Governor: The ruling party in Kano State, APC lost to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Saturday’s governorship contest, Naija News reports.
After a fierce battle of votes between major contenders, INEC on Monday declared the candidate of the NNPP, Abba Kabir Yusuf, as the winner of the Kano state governorship election.
Yusuf polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the incumbent deputy governor and candidate of the APC, Nasir Gawuna, who had 890,705.
NNPP’s victory in Kano has since generated tensions in the state as residents insist on going on the streets to celebrate despite Governor Ganduje’s order for a lockdown.
Abubakar Sani Bello – APC
Niger State Governor, Bello, also known as Lolo, was elected into office in May 2015 and again won reelection on the platform of the APC in 2019.
Having completed his eight years in office, Bello would be vacating office soon for new leadership in the state.
Governor Bello’s Successor: Hon. Umar Bago will succeed Bello as Niger State’s next governor. On Monday, INEC declared Bago as Niger Governor-Elect, having won with 82,419 votes margin ahead of his closest opponent, the PDP Candidate, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi.
Niger Collation Officer, Professor Clement Allawa, declared that Bago, who contested on the APC platform, got 469,896 votes while the PDP got 387,477 votes.
Darius Ishaku – PDP
Governor Darius of Taraba State is among the outgoing state leaders who have completed their constitutional two terms as sitting governor. Darius became governor of the state in 2015 and won reelection in 2019.
Governor Darius’s Successor: PDP maintained its leadership in Taraba State after Kefas Agbu emerged as the state’s winner of the March 18 governorship election.
INEC Returning Officer for the state, Prof M.A. Abdulazeez, announced very early on Tuesday morning that Agbu scored 257,926 votes to edge out the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) candidate, Muhammad Yahaya, who polled 202,277.
Coming third in the contest is APC’s candidate, Emmanuel Bwacha, who garnered 142,502 votes.
Abubakar Atiku Bagudu – APC
Bagudu is a chieftain of the APC. He has been the governor of Kebbi State since 2015. He had served two terms in office, having been sworn in for a second term in May 2019 when he won reelection.
Bagudu’s Successor: On Monday, INEC declared the governorship election in Kebbi state inconclusive.
Naija News understands that before the declaration, the PDP representative at the collation centre in Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Sani Dododo, refused to sign the results, insisting that INEC must announce the total figure of overvoting and cancellations made in the 20 affected local government areas.
Simon Lalong – APC
The APC chieftain has also served his two terms and is on a countdown to vacating the office of the Governor for new leadership. Naija News reports that Lalong became governor in 2015 and respectively won reelection in 2019.
Lalong’s Successor In Plateau: On Monday, INEC declared the candidate of the PDP, Caleb Mutfwang, as March 18 Platea State governorship election winner.
The INEC Presiding Officer, Musa Yusuf, declared that Mutfwang had the highest votes beating his APC counterpart, Nentawe Yilwatda.
PDP won ten local government areas in the state, while the APC won in seven LGAs.
