2023 Poll: Meet All Governors-Elect Announced By INEC

Millions of Nigerians trooped to the polls on Saturday, March 18, 2023, to elect new governors or re-elect incumbents in 28 out of the 36 states in the country as governorship elections of eight states (Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo) are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Winners have been declared in 26 states while elections in Adamawa and Kebbi states were declared inconclusive. The election in Adamawa was declared inconclusive due to the margin of votes between the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru famously known as Binani and the incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Binani scored 390, 275 votes while Fintiri polled 421,524 votes. However, according to INEC, elections were not held in 47 wards, affecting 69 polling units, resulting in a margin of 31,249. INEC noted that the total number of PVCs collected in places where elections were not held amounted to 37,016. The state collation officer said, “based on these findings and analysis as stated in the electoral laws, where the margin between two candidates is lesser than the total number of collected PVCs in areas where elections were not held, the election is declared inconclusive.” On the other hand, the Kebbi election was declared inconclusive because the total number of cancelled votes was more than the number of valid votes.

Officially, nine of the 11 governors who sought reelection in the March 18 polls held across the country have been declared winners by INEC to return to office for another four-year term each. They are Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State. So far, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State is the only incumbent who has lost his reelection bid while the fate of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State is yet to be determined. Matawalle lost his seat to Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 377,726 votes while he (Matawalle) scored 311,976 votes.

In Abia State, Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) was declared the winner of the election having polled 175,467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 88,529 votes. In Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner of the election as he won in 29 out of 31 Local Government Areas in the state to defeat his closest rival, Sen. Bassey Akpan of the Young Progressive Party (YPP). Eno scored 354,348 votes while Akpan got 136,262 votes. Also in Benue, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, was declared the winner of the election after scoring 473,933 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 223,913 votes.

Like in Benue, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, Sen. Bassey Otu, was declared the governor-elect having polled 258,619 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sandy Onor, who scored 179,636 votes. With the victory, Sen. Otu becomes the first governor of River State to be elected on the platform of a different party outside PDP which had governed the state since the return of democracy in 1999. Also, Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the governorship election in Delta State, having polled 360234 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who scored 240229.

In Ebonyi State, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Francis Nwifuru emerged winner after polling 199,131 votes to defeat Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 80,191 and Ben Odo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who got 52,189 votes.  In Enugu State, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Mbah was declared winner having polled 160,895 votes slightly above his closest rivals — Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) who scored 157,552 and Uche Nnaji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who got 14,575 votes, amongst others.

Umar Namadi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the Jigawa governorship election having scored 618,449 votes to beat his closest rival, Mustapha Sule Lamido who polled 368,726 votes. Similarly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Uba Sani was declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kaduna State having polled a total of 730,002 votes to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 719,196 votes. In Kano, the candidate of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Abba Yusuf was declared winner having polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the incumbent Deputy Governor of the state, Yusuf Gawuna, of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who scored 892,705 votes.

Dikko Umar-Radda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was also declared the winner of the governorship election in Katsina State having polled 859,892 votes to defeat his closet rival, Sen. Yakubu Lado-Danmarke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 486,620 votes. In Niger, Umar Bago of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election after scoring 469,896 votes to defeat his closest rival, Isah Liman-Kantigi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 387,476 votes. In Plateau, Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner having scored 525,299 votes to defeat his closest rival and the candidate of the ruling APC, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, who polled 481,370 votes.

Similarly, in Rivers State, Sim Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the election after polling 302,614 votes against his closest rival, Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored  95,274 votes. In Sokoto State, Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the election having polled 453,661 votes to defeat his closest rival, Malam Sa’idu Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 404,632 votes. In Taraba, Kefas Agbu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged winner after scoring 57,926 votes to edge out the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Muhammad Yahaya, who polled 202,277.

In all, elections have been won and lost but the ripples will take a while to settle. Some losers have conceded defeat by congratulating the winners while some are still challenging the outcome of the elections. Whatever it is, the winners remain winners until the court says otherwise.