11 Governors Seeking Re-election, Their Parties, Opposition Candidates

Come Saturday, March 18, 2023, eligible voters across 28 out of 36 states of the federation are expected to all go out and vote for their preferred candidates in the governorship election and state house of assembly elections.

Of the 28 states where elections will be conducted, Naija News understands that only 11 serving governors would be battling for a second term in office.

The remaining 17 outgoing governors are to complete their constitutional two-term limits of eight years which will elapse by May 29, 2023, after which they may seek other political positions peradventure they are still interested in politics.

The 28 states where governorship elections will hold this Saturday 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.

See below the list of 11 governors seeking re-election on March 18:

1 – Seyi Makinde: The Oyo State Governor is seeking reelection on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party which brought him to power.

Naija News understands that Makinde will go to the poll this weekend with strong opposition from the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Teslim Folarin.

No fewer than fifteen party candidates would be contesting the state’s number political position. However, Labour Party (LP’s) candidate, Akinwale Tayo, appeared to be among the top contenders with Makinde, Folarin inclusive.

Recall that Makinde is among the five aggrieved governors of the PDP, popularly known as the G5, who stood against their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the just concluded presidential election.

Other members of the G5 include Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike; Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue).

2 – Prof. Babagana Zulum: Having battled Boko Haram, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), Bandits, and Kidnappers for four years in office, Zulum is hoping to get a second term as Borno State Governor.

Zulum is considered one of the good boys of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The North-Eastern state governor is in the 2023 governorship race alongside 11 others, including PDP’s Mohammed Jajari and Labour Party’s Goni Abdullahi.

3 – Ahmadu Fintiri: Fifteen political parties fielded candidates for the Adamawa State governorship race, and Governor Fintiri is among them.

Naija News understands that Fintiri is seeking reelection for another four-year term on the platform of the PDP. His closest rivals are Labour Party (LP)’s Mustapha Madawaki and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru, famously known as Binani.

4 – Bala Mohammed: Also in the Northeast, Mohammed, if things go well, is hoping to return as Governor of Bauchi State after March 18 election.

The politician remained with the PDP umbrella and is contesting the governorship seat with 13 other party candidates, including Senator Halliru Jika of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) as well as APC’s candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who is Nigeria’s immediate past Chief of Air Staff.

5 – Bello Matawalle: Zamfara State in the North-West part of Nigeria has in total, 13 candidates vying for the position of governor in the state.

Governor Matawalle is a chieftain of the APC and would have to settle scores with PDP’s Dauda Lawal, LP’s Ahmed Yahuza, and 11 others this Saturday.

6 – Muhammad Inuwa: The Gombe State governor is also seeking reelection on the platform of the nation’s ruling APC. Inuwa will be slugging it out at the polls with 13 others, including PDP’s Muhammed Barde and LP’s Amuga Esau, Naija News reports.

7 – Abdullahi Sule: Having had to count scores of kidnapping, and banditry activities, among other criminal events in Nasarawa State, the APC chieftain is also in the reelection bid come March 18.

Governor Sule has 13 others, including candidates of the Labour Party, Ewuge Joseph and Mohammed Alfa of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to contest this Saturday.

8 – Mai Mala Buni: Governor Buni is a former caretaker chairman of the ruling APC. He is as well yearning for a second term in office as governor of Yobe State.

He is in the race alongside ten other candidates like PDP’s Shariff Abdullahi and NNPP’s Umar Garba.

9 – AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq: Hoping for a second tenure, is also the incumbent Governor of Kwara State. Governor AbdulRazaq has maintained his tide with the APC and is hoping that his credibility in the last four years in North Central state would be enough to vote him back to power come Saturday.

He is in the race with PDP’s Abdullahi Yaman, LP’s Abubakar Kabir and 11 others.

10 – Dapo Abiodun: The South-West State Governor have 12 others, including PDP’s Ladi Adebutu, who is no newcomer in the game as well as Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who has the backing of former governor and serving APC senator, Ibikunle Amosun to battle on March.

Electorates would judge what the APC governor has done in the last four years in office.

11 – Babajide Sanwo-Olu: Last but not least on the re-election bid is Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

The APC chieftain could not win Lagos for his boss and candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the just concluded presidential election.

Expectedly by votes, Sanwo-Olu’s four years in office will be judged by residents come Saturday. The incumbent governor will be slugging it out with 15 co-contestants, including LP’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and PDP’s Olajide Adediran aka Jandor, Naija News reports.