Barring any further change, Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold today, Saturday, March 18, 2023 in 28 out of Nigeria’s 36 States.
The elections are being held a week later than initially scheduled after a court case forced the Independent National Electoral Commission to move it forward.
Eight of the 36 states — Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo — have governorship elections “off-season” due to litigations and court judgements.
In alphabetical order, the 28 States where governorship elections will hold on March 18, 2023, 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 and Zamfara.
Of the 28 States where elections will hold on March 18, 11 serving governors are seeking re-election while 17 outgoing governors will complete their constitutional two-term limits of eight years by May 29, 2023.
While it is unclear how the race in this 11 States will pan out, fresh governors are certain to emerge in 17 other states. The states are Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, and Taraba.
Significantly, of the 17 outgoing governors, nine contested in the Senatorial election of February 25. Seven failed in their bids to become Senators to move into the Senate, while two were victorious.
