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31 governorships | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 APC incumbent term-limited APC incumbent running or eligible for re-election PDP incumbent term-limited PDP incumbent running or eligible for re-election No election in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections were held for state governors in 31 out of 36 Nigerian states. All but three elections were held on 18 March—concurrent with elections to every state house of assembly, three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections—while the Imo State, Kogi State, and Bayelsa State elections will be held on 11 November.[1][2][3][4] The last regular gubernatorial elections for all states were in 2019. All states have a two term limit for Governors which makes 18 incumbent governors ineligible for re-election.
Several incumbent governors were ineligible for re-election due to term limits. Nine APC governors were term-limited while nine incumbent APC governors were eligible for re-election. Among PDP governors, eight were term-limited while four could seek re-election. Elections will be held in 18 of the 20 states with APC governors and 12 of the 14 states with PDP governors.
The APC and PDP picked up two governorships each in the March elections, with the APC winning Benue and Sokoto while the PDP gained Plateau and Zamfara. Additionally, both the LP and NNPP gained one governorship with the LP gaining Abia and the NNPP flipping Kano. Two gubernatorial races—Adamawa and Kebbi—were declared inconclusive due to close margins and results cancellations.
Overall, the March election results were noted for few changes as state's governing parties generally retained control of governorships. Like in the federal elections, Independent National Electoral Commission performance dominated post-election discussion as dozens of candidates claimed irregularities had impacted their elections. Additionally, the March gubernatorial elections had significantly more reports of violence and vote-buying than during the federal elections, especially in the states of Lagos and Kano.[5][6]
- ^ Oyekanmi, Rotimi (26 February 2022). "It's Official: 2023 Presidential, National Assembly Elections to Hold Feb 25". INEC News. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Jimoh, Abbas (26 February 2022). "INEC Sets New Dates For 2023 General Elections". Daily Trust. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- ^ "INEC shifts governorship, assembly polls by one week". The Punch. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ Adenekan, Samson. "INEC releases date for Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi off-cycle governorship elections". Premium Times. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Adeyemi, Ibrahim. "ANALYSIS: How governorship elections were won and lost across 28 states". Premium Times. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ^ Akinkuotu, Eniola. "Nigeria 2023: Low turnout in Lagos as thugs attack, suppress voters". The Africa Report. Retrieved 23 March 2023.