Voters in the states of Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi will choose a new governor today.
There are sixteen people running for governor in oil-rich Bayelsa State.
According to MISMOB, however, the top contenders are the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) incumbent and candidate Douye Diri (who is running for a second term), the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) former governor of the state, Timipre Sylva, and the Labour Party’s (LP) Udengs Eradiri.
The APC is certain that it will regain control of Bayelsa, a state it won four years ago but lost when David Lyon was removed from office by the Supreme Court.
Even before the APC came to power, Bayelsa was solidly a PDP state thanks to Governor Diri.
However, Diri, who served as a senator for Bayelsa Central Senatorial District in 2019 and 2020, called himself a “miracle governor” because of how he was sworn in.
Lyon won the election with 352,552 votes to PDP’s 143,172, yet he still became governor.
In April of 2023, the PDP unanimously decided that Diri will be their candidate for the upcoming election.
Sylva Timipre
The ex-Minister of State for Petroleum is a major candidate in the upcoming election. From 2007 till 2012, he served as the state’s leader.
There was controversy concerning the former Minister’s eligibility owing to the notion that he took oath of office twice and had served for five years.
On October 9th, a Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified Sylva for the reasons mentioned above. The High Court’s decision was overturned by an Appeal Court in Abuja, giving him a reprieve.
Eradiri Udengs
The LP, on the other hand, is a party that is using Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, to bolster its standing.
This highlights the importance of not underestimating the LP, which has emerged as one of the biggest oppositions nationally, and whose candidate, Eradiri, may be extremely dependent on the party’s performance in the 2023 elections.
In addition to his current role as Special Assistant on Youths and Sports to the Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Eradiri has held a number of other political positions.
His relationship with the state party leadership is strained because he has accused them of colluding with the opposition PDP.
Hope Uzodinma, the incumbent governor of Imo, will see her tenure end on January 14, 2024. In Kogi and Bayelsa States, the terms of their respective governors would end on January 26 and February 13, respectively, in the same year.
Sickened by insecurity The APC currently governs two states in the South-East, and Imo is one of them.
Seventeen candidates were given the green light by INEC to run for governor. Hope Uzodinma of the APC, Athan Nneji Achonu of the LP, and Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP are the prominent candidates.
Uzodinma, Hope.
The Supreme Court invalidated the election of PDP candidate Emeka Ihedioha in 2020, and the incumbent governor was proclaimed the winner.
Even though he placed fourth in the official election tally, he was still deemed the victor by the electoral umpire.
As the current governor, Uzodinma already has a leg up because to his position as Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum. Unknown gunmen and other non-state actors have taken control of various regions of the state, however, presenting him with security issues.
The Name Is Athan Achonu
The Labour Party candidate served in the Senate for a short time before being forced out by the courts.
If Achonu wins this Saturday, he will be the first amputee governor of Nigeria. A big benefit for him is the Labour Party’s win in the South-East during the last general elections.
S. Anyanwu Samuel
The PDP candidate is well grounded in Imo politics having served as a Local Government chairman and House of Assembly member from 2007 to 2015.
He formerly held the position of party national secretary before deciding to run against Hope Uzodinma.
He was a Senator in the 8th National Assembly and lost the 2019 party primary to Emeka Ihedioha.
Kogi Country
There are eighteen contenders vying for the governorship of Kogi State in North Central Nigeria, and Governor Yahaya Bello is likely looking forward to relinquishing power to his preferred candidate, Ododo Usman Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Dino Melaye of the People’s Democratic Party, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, and Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress are all candidates vying for the open seat in the state legislature.
Wesley Ododo Usman
In Kogi, where the APC is running for office, the candidate is a former auditor general. Not only does he have the backing of the sitting governor, but he also claims to be the sole candidate representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Melaye Dino
The former senator won the PDP’s primary poll, making him the party’s nominee for president.
Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, ran for governor of his party in 2019 but was unsuccessful in the primaries.
After leaving politics, the former congressman became the campaign manager for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential nominee of the main opposition party in the 2023 election.
M. Yakubu Muritala A.
The current SDP gubernatorial candidate used to be the APC’s deputy national publicity secretary before he defected and joined the SDP. In his effort to seize control of the crossroads state, he has been waging a vigorous grass-roots campaign.
Mismob Media