Upsets imminent as 28 states elect governors today
There is optimism that the surprising victory by opposition parties in a few states during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections will occur again in the majority of the nation’s states during today’s gubernatorial and state House of Assembly elections.
The 36 states that make up the federation will have the House of Assembly election, but only 28 will hold the governorship election because there are off-season elections in the remaining eight states: Osun, Ekiti, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Edo, Ondo, and Imo.
There was an uneasy calm among members of the ruling party regarding who would win the governorship race in states like Lagos, Abia, Oyo, Rivers, Enugu, Benue, Sokoto, Bauchi, Delta, Kano, Kaduna, and Plateau, where opposition parties defeated the governing parties in the presidential election.
In Lagos State, where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is seeking re-election on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress, there are fears that the Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour will give the incumbent a run for his money given the way the LP defeated the APC in the presidential election. Also, Olajide Adediran of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party is also a strong contender for the coveted seat. About 6.21 million voters with permanent voter cards are expected to determine the next governor of the state.
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In Sokoto State, where Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s PDP scored 288,679 votes to narrowly defeat the opposition APC, which scored 285,444 votes during the presidential election, it is expected that the governorship election will be keenly contested between the two parties. Tambuwal will not be on the ballot.
In Oyo State, the race will be between Governor Seyi Makinde of the PDP and Teslim Folarin of the APC, while Adebayo Adelabu of the Accord Party has an outside chance of clinching the coveted seat.
The governorship election in Abia State will also be interesting. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP is not on the ballot as he is rounding off his second term, but he is supporting the candidate of his party. However, there are fears that the party may not retain the state, given that the governor lost his senatorial bid to Eyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, while the LP scored 327,095 votes to trump the PDP’s 22,676 votes in the presidential election.
In Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara of the PDP, Tonye Cole of the APC and Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party are said to be the top contenders. Meanwhile, Beatrice Itubo of the LP is also said to be a contender, given the party’s performance in the presidential election.
There are also indications that the governorship election will be a strong contest between Peter Mbah of the PDP, Chijioke Edeoga of the LP, and Frank Nweke Jr of APGA.
After losing the presidential election to the APC, the PDP in Benue State expressed optimism that it would win the governorship election, being the party in power. The governor, Samuel Ortom, lost his senatorial bid to the candidate of the APC, Dr Titus Zam. He is one of the G-5 governors, and he openly endorsed Obi for the presidential election.
Upsets imminent as 28 states elect governors today
