The 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections were held for state governors in 31 out of 36 Nigerian states. All but three elections were held on 18 March—concurrent with elections to every state house of assembly, three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections—while the Imo State, Kogi State, and Bayelsa State elections will be held on 11 November. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all states were in 2019. All states have a two term limit for Governors which makes 18 incumbent governors ineligible for re-election.
Several incumbent governors were ineligible for re-election due to term limits. Nine APC governors were term-limited while nine incumbent APC governors were eligible for re-election. Among PDP governors, eight were term-limited while four could seek re-election. Elections will be held in 18 of the 20 states with APC governors and 12 of the 14 states with PDP governors.
The APC and PDP picked up two governorships each in the March elections, with the APC winning Benue and Sokoto while the PDP gained Plateau and Zamfara. Additionally, both the LP and NNPP gained one governorship with the LP gaining Abia and the NNPP flipping Kano. Two gubernatorial races—Adamawa and Kebbi—were declared inconclusive due to close margins and results cancellations.
Overall, the March election results were noted for few changes as state's governing parties generally retained control of governorships. Like in the federal elections, Independent National Electoral Commission performance dominated post-election discussion as dozens of candidates claimed irregularities had impacted their elections. Additionally, the March gubernatorial elections had significantly more reports of violence and vote-buying than during the federal elections, especially in the states of Lagos and Kano.
Prior partisan composition Before the elections, there were 21 APC governors, 14 PDP governors, and one APGA governor. Of the governor's offices up for election in 2023, 19 are held by an APC member while 12 are held by a PDP member.
Results summary State Incumbent ResultsIncumbentPartyFirst electedStatusCandidatesAbiaOkezie IkpeazuPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedLP gain AdamawaAhmadu Umaru FintiriPDP2019Incumbent re-elected Akwa IbomUdom Gabriel EmmanuelPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP hold BauchiBala MohammedPDP2019Incumbent re-elected BayelsaDouye DiriPDP2019Eligible BenueSamuel OrtomPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC gain BornoBabagana Umara ZulumAPC2019Incumbent re-elected Cross RiverBenedict AyadeAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold DeltaIfeanyi OkowaPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP hold EbonyiDave UmahiAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold EnuguIfeanyi UgwuanyiPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP hold GombeMuhammad Inuwa YahayaAPC2019Incumbent re-elected ImoHope UzodinmaAPC2020Eligible JigawaMohammed Badaru AbubakarAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold KadunaNasir Ahmad el-RufaiAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold KanoAbdullahi Umar GandujeAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedNNPP gain KatsinaAminu Bello MasariAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold KebbiAbubakar Atiku BaguduAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold KogiYahaya BelloAPC2015 Incumbent term-limited KwaraAbdulRahman AbdulRazaqAPC2019Incumbent re-elected LagosBabajide Sanwo-OluAPC2019Incumbent re-elected NasarawaAbdullahi SuleAPC2019Incumbent re-elected NigerAbubakar Sani BelloAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC hold OgunDapo AbiodunAPC2019Incumbent re-elected OyoSeyi MakindePDP2019Incumbent re-elected PlateauSimon LalongAPC2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP gain RiversEzenwo Nyesom WikePDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP hold SokotoAminu TambuwalPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedAPC gain TarabaDarius IshakuPDP2015Incumbent term-limitedNew governor electedPDP hold YobeMai Mala BuniAPC2019Incumbent re-elected ZamfaraBello MatawalleAPC2019Incumbent lost re-electionNew governor electedPDP gain
Notes
Abia State
Incumbent PDP Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was re-elected to a second term in 2019 with 60.26% of the vote. He was term-limited in 2023 and could not seek re-election for a third term.
Primaries For the APC, two parallel primaries were held with one faction holding an indirect primary at the Chidiebere Arena while the other faction held a direct primary (citing a national APC directive for a direct primary in Abia) that carried on into the next day. After both primaries were peacefully held, the Chidiebere Arena primary ended in economist Ikechi Emenike winning by a wide margin while the direct primary resulted in a victory for former minister Uche Ogah. INEC recognised Emenike as the legitimate nominee in July 2022 after a court ruled in his favour.
In the APGA primary, Gregory Ibe (an academic administrator) defeated his three opponents with around 54% of the delegates' votes. While the party accepted his nomination, second runner-up Ijioma Nwokoro Ijioma rejected the results.
In the PDP primary, Uche Ikonne (an optometrist and academic administrator) emerged victorious after almost all of his opponents withdrew on the day of the primary. Reasons for withdrawal were split between those claimed that Ikpeazu's tacit support for Ikonne along with doctored delegate lists removed any fairness from the primary and those that dropped out to support Ikonne. Ikonne defeated the two remaining candidates with over 80% of the vote in an indirect primary on 25 May.
Adamawa State
Incumbent PDP Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was elected to a first term in 2019 with 43.22% of the vote. He is eligible to run for re-election and has been renominated by his party.
Primaries For the APC, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed—Senator for Adamawa Central—won the primary with 42% of delegates' votes. Despite some controversies during the primary, Ahmed was accepted as the nominee and made history as the first women to nominated by a major party for the Adamawa governorship and only the second women ever nominated by a major party for any state governorship.
In the PDP primary, Fintiri was the sole candidate due to the disqualification of his only primary opponent—Jameel Abubakar Waziri. As he was unopposed, Fintiri won unanimously at the primary in Yola.
Akwa Ibom State
Incumbent PDP Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel was re-elected to a second term in 2019 with 74.64% of the vote. He will be term-limited in 2023 and cannot seek re-election for a third term.
Primaries For the APC, months of a party crisis between a national party-recognized faction backed by Godswill Akpabio and an INEC-recognized faction backed by John James Akpan Udo-Edehe culminated in street fights over control of official voting materials. Eventually, the Akpabio faction gained control of the materials and held its primary on 27 May with businessman Akanimo Udofia winning. However, INEC did not recognize Udofia's win, leaving the APC without a gubernatorial nominee. As the APC failed to legitimately nominate a candidate, minor parties' nominees have become major candidates as Udo-Edehe decamped to the NNPP to become its nominee with rumors that losing PDP candidates are also looking at minor parties' tickets.
In the PDP primary, Umo Eno (a former commissioner) emerged victorious after two of his major opponents—Senator Bassey Albert Akpan and MHR Onofiok Luke—withdrew on the day of the primary as both claimed that a court order prevented the primary from taking place. Eno defeated the remaining candidates with over 97% of the vote in an indirect primary on 25 May.
Bauchi State
Incumbent PDP Governor Bala Mohammed was elected to a first term in 2019 with 46.35% of the vote. He initially declined to run for re-election, instead running for president. However, after losing the PDP presidential primary in May 2022, Mohammed was renominated for governor in a rerun primary.
Primaries In the APC primary, Sadique Abubakar (former Chief of the Air Staff) defeated Senator Halliru Dauda Jika with 36% of the vote in an indirect primary on 26 May. Jika left for the NNPP a few weeks after the primary.
In the PDP, former Secretary to the State Government Ibrahim Kashim won the primary unopposed on 25 May. However, prior to the primary, reporting revealed that Kashim was to act as a placeholder and would withdraw if Mohammed's presidential campaign failed. After it did, Kashim withdrew and Mohammed won the rerun primary on 4 June unopposed.
Bayelsa State
Incumbent PDP Governor Douye Diri was elected to a first term in 2019 after a court decision. He is eligible to run for re-election, but has not yet stated whether he will do so. A rumored PDP primary challenger for Diri is former NDDC Managing Director/CEO and 2019 PDP gubernatorial candidate Timi Alaibe.
Rumored APC candidates include Timipre Sylva (former Governor and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources), Peremobowei Ebebi (former Deputy Governor and 2020 Bayelsa West senatorial by-election nominee), David Lyon (2019 APC gubernatorial nominee), and Heineken Lokpobiri (former Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development and former Senator for Bayelsa West).
Benue State
Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom was re-elected to a second term in 2019 with 52.29% of the vote. He will be term-limited in 2023 and cannot seek re-election for a third term. Dondu Ahire (former Commissioner for Water Resources and Solid Minerals), Terver Akase (Chief Press Secretary to Ortom), Robert Orya (former Managing Director/CEO of NEXIM), Titus Uba (House of Assembly member for Kyan and Speaker of the House of Assembly), Terkaa Ucha (House of Assembly member for Vandeikya-Tiev), and Paul Ubwa (BECCIMA President) are declared PDP candidates while Benson Abounu (Deputy Governor and former commissioner) and Terwase Orbunde (former Chief of Staff to Ortom) have expressed interest in contesting and suspended his campaign, respectively.
Announced APC candidates include Barnabas Andyar Gemade (former Senator for Benue North-East), Herman Hembe (House of Representatives member for Konshisha/Vandeikya), Terlumun Ikya (economic consultant) and Steven Lawani (former Deputy Governor).
Borno State
Incumbent APC Governor Babagana Umara Zulum was elected to a first term in 2019 with 92.78% of the vote. He is eligible to run for re-election, but has not yet stated whether he will do so. Rumored APC primary challengers are 2019 APC gubernatorial candidate Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Senator for Borno North Abubakar Kyari, and Senator for Borno South Mohammed Ali Ndume. Rumored PDP candidates include 2015 PDP gubernatorial nominee Gambo Lawan and former Senator for Borno Central Mohammed Abba-Aji.
Cross River State
Incumbent PDP-turned-APC Governor Benedict Ayade was re-elected to a second term in 2019 with 73.04% of the vote. He will be term-limited in 2023 and cannot seek re-election for a third term. A declared APC candidate is Godswill Edward Osim (Ayade aide and son-in-law of former President Goodluck Jonathan) while potential APC candidates include Chris Agara (businessman), Goddy Jedy Agba (Minister of State for Power), Okonkon Effiom (Commissioner for Rural Transformation), Asuquo Ekpenyong (Commissioner for Finance), John Owan Enoh (former Senator for Cross River Central and 2019 APC gubernatorial nominee), Ntufam Ekpo Okon (former House of Representatives member for Calabar Municipal/Odukpani and 2019 APC deputy gubernatorial nominee), Bassey Otu (former Senator for Cross River South), and Usani Uguru Usani (former Niger Delta Minister).