First Timers Who Would Be Sworn In As Governors On May 29

The results of Nigeria’s governorship elections that held on March 18, 2023 have continued to pour in. While there are waves of jubilations in some camps, the factions who lost their bid have vehemently disregarded the results, describing the process as a mortification to the country’s democracy.

The All Progressives Congress has won the governorship polls in 15 states including Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Lagos, Kwara, Niger, Yobe, Nasarawa, C’River, Ebonyi, Ogun, Benue, Kaduna and Borno, in the results that has been declared so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Peoples Democratic Party on the other hand won Plateau, Bauchi, Oyo, Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states while the New Nigeria Peoples Party emerged victorious in Kano.

From the results 9 incumbent governors were declared winners, while 13 fresh faces were confirmed by INEC as governors-elect.

The list of the governors-elect include:

Sokoto State – Ahmed Sokoto (APC)

The candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just-concluded Saturday’s governorship election, Ahmed Sokoto, was declared the governor-elect on Sunday night by the Returning Officer, Professor Armayau Hamisu from Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State.

The governor-elect polled 453,661 votes to defeat his closest challenger and candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam Saidu Umar, who polled 404,632 votes.

Although, he was the deputy to the incumbent Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from 2015 to 2018, he resigned over differences between them.

Katsina State – Dikko Radda

Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari elected the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Dikko Radda, with a vote of 859,892 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Senator Yakubu Danmarke, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled a total of 486,620 votes.

The State Returning Officer for the election, Professor Mu’azu Gusau, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gusau, announced the result on Sunday at about 8:56 pm at the Governorship Election Collation Centre, Katsina.

The 53-year-old governor-elect was director-general of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Kaduna State – Uba Sani

Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of Kaduna State gubernatorial election by INEC state collation officer, Lawal Bilbis.

Sani scored 730,002 votes to defeat Isa Ashiru, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who polled 719,196 votes.

He was appointed Special advisor on public affairs to the President Olusegun Obasanjo after the return of Democracy in Nigeria in 1999 and was elected as senator representing Kaduna Central under the ruling political party, All Progressives Congress (APC) during the February 2019 Nigeria general elections.

Benue State – Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia

In a historical victory, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia became the second Roman Catholic priest to elected as governor in Nigeria.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate won the Benue State governorship election held on Saturday, 18 March, which was announced in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Monday by the state collation and returning officer, Faruk Kuta.

The Benue governor-elect has served variously as parochial vicar at St John’s Parish Gboko, assistant Cathedral Administrator, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral Makurdi, Parish Priest at St Jude’s Parish Koti-Yough, Parochial Vicar Immaculate Conception Parish Astoria, New York, Parochial Vicar Our Lady of the Cenacle Parish Richmond Hill Queens New York, Parish Priest St Thomas Parish Anum Makurdi, Parish Priest Christ the King Parish Adi Etilo.

Plateau State – Caleb Mutfwang

The Plateau State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Caleb Mutfwang, defeated Nentawe Yilwatda, the anointed candidate of the state governor, Simon Lalong to win the gubernatorial seat.

The governor-elect, who was born on March 12, 1965, polled 525,299 votes to defeat his closest rival and the candidate of the APC, Yilwatda, who polled 481,370 votes.

Delta State – Sheriff Oborevwori

Sheriff Oborevwori was born on 19 June 1963, to the family of Chief Samuel and Mrs. Esther Oborevwori of Osubi town in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.

On Monday, he was declared the winner of the governorship election in Delta State under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after polling 360, 234 votes to beat his closest rival of the APC, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who scored 240,229.

He is the incumbent Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly as a representative of the Okpe Constituency and the anointed candidate of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

READ ALSO: Ayu: PDP’s Undertaker

Rivers State – Siminialayi Fubara

It is a no-brainer that the Rivers State Governor threw all his weight behind the state governor-elect, Siminialayi Fubara.

INEC delivered the parcel of goodwill to the incumbent governor and his supporters on Monday night when the State Returning Officer, Professor Akpofure Rim-Rukeh declared Fubara as the winner of the Saturday’s poll after he garnered 302,614 votes to defeat his closet rival Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 95,274 votes.

The governor-elect was appointed the accountant general of Rivers State on December 23, 2020, up till May 2022, when he won the People’s Democratic Party governorship primaries for the 2023 general elections.

Akwa Ibom State – Umo Eno

59-year-old Umo Eno of the Peoples Democratic Party was declared the winner of the last Saturday’s election in Akwa Ibom State “having satisfied the requirements of the law”.

The State Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, Prof Emmanuel Adigio, said the PDP candidate polled a total of 356,346 votes to defeat his opponents of the Young Progressive Party and All Progressives Congress who scored a total of 136,262 and 129,602 respectively.

The governor-elect cum clergy is the immediate past Commissioner for Lands and Water Resources in Akwa Ibom State, and the founder of All Nations Christian Ministry International.

Kano State – Abba Yusuf

Yusuf Kabir Abba of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kano state on Monday after beating his arc-rival, Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to claim victory in the state.

Abba served as PA to Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the NNPP, while he was governor of Kano state from 1999 to 2003.

In 2019, Kwankwaso mobilised against Abdullahi Ganduje and supported Abba in unseating the incumbent governor. Abba went on to win the election in the first round, but his victory was not to be as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared a supplementary election in 28 of 44 local government areas in the state.

Following the conduct of the supplementary poll, Ganduje was declared the winner with less than 9,000 votes ahead of Abba, who had initially won with over 26,000 votes.

Jigawa State – Umar Namadi

The incumbent deputy governor of Jigawa Statet, Umar Namadi defeated his closest challenger, Mustapha Lamido, of the People Democratic Party to replace his boss, Badaru Abubakar.

The All Progressives Congress gubernatorial flagbearer polled 618,449 votes and won in 26 of the 27 local government areas in Jigawa.

Niger State – Umar Bago

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Umar Bago, winner of the election in Niger State.

According to the Returning Officer of the election, Prof Clement Alawa, Bago polled 469,896 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Isah Liman Kantigi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 389,7476 votes.

Bago ran in the 9th National Assembly, contesting for Speaker House of Representatives of Nigeria but came second to Femi Gbajabiamila of Surulere, Lagos.

Cross River – Bassey Otu

Bassey Otu represented the Calabar Municipal/Odukpani constituency of Cross River State in the Federal House of Representatives from 2003 – 2011.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Teddy Charles Adias declared Otu the winner at exactly 3:56 pm on Monday stating that the APC gubernatorial candidate polled 258, 619 votes to defeat Sen. Sandy Onor of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP who scored 179,636.

He was elected Senator for Cross River South in the April 2011 elections under the PDP and in the 2019 elections under the APC.

Ebonyi State – Francis Nwifuru

Francis Nwifuru, a member of the APC, served as two-terms Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly.

His status changed on Monday when he was declared the governor of the south eastern state by the State Returning Officer, Charles Igwe.

Igwe said the State Representatives representing Izzi West constituency at the State Legislature polled a total of 199,131 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party, who got a total of 80,191.