ADELANI ADEPEGBA writes about the inability of seven state governors to withstand the onslaught of opposition candidates in the recent general elections. The March 18 governorship and state‑assembly elections produced surprising outcomes that will keep political analysts busy for years. While some incumbents lost to opposition challengers, others saw their anointed successors defeated. Notably, the All Progressives Congress (APC) lost Lagos State—its presidential candidate Bola Tinubu’s stronghold—to Labour Party (LP) standard‑bearer Peter Obi. Yet Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu, the APC candidate, managed to rally support and win re‑election resoundingly, even as several governors were overwhelmed by opposition forces.
In Zamfara State, Governor Bello Matawalle was shocked to learn that he had lost the March 18 election to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Dauda Lawal. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported that Lawal secured 377,726 votes, defeating Matawalle’s 311,976. Interestingly, Matawalle had originally become governor under the PDP before defecting to the APC. In Kano, Governor Umar Ganduje’s plan to hand power to APC governorship candidate Yusuf Gawuna evaporated when New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate Abba Yusuf was declared the winner. The NNPP also captured 17 of the 24 House of Representatives seats and many state‑assembly constituencies, bolstered by former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso’s influence. INEC returning officer Ahmad Ibrahim announced that Yusuf won with 1,019,602 votes to Gawuna’s 890,705. Yusuf had previously contested against Ganduje in 2019 as the PDP candidate, leading after the first round before losing in supplementary polls. Supporters of the Kwankwasiyya movement celebrated the NNPP victory, defying a dusk‑to‑dawn curfew imposed to prevent post‑election violence.
On the plateau, the APC suffered another setback when PDP candidate Caleb Mutfwang defeated the party’s anointed successor, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, in Plateau State. Mutfwang garnered 525,299 votes to Yilwatda’s 481,370, with the PDP winning 10 local government areas (LGAs) and the APC seven. Governor Simon Lalong, also Director‑General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, lost the Plateau South senatorial seat to PDP’s Bali Napoleon, who received 148,844 votes to Lalong’s 91,674.
Benue State witnessed a historic turn as Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest, won the governorship, becoming the second priest to hold the office since the state’s creation in 1976. Alia secured 473,933 votes, defeating PDP candidate Titus Uba (223,914) and LP candidate Hemma Hembe (41,841). The loss further dimmed Governor Samuel Ortom’s political prospects, as his senatorial bid also failed.
In Sokoto State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal’s attempt to keep the PDP in power was thwarted when PDP candidate Saidu Ubandoma lost to APC’s Ahmed Sokoto, a former deputy governor and ally of ex‑governor‑senator Aliyu Wamakko. Sokoto’s 2019 election had seen Sokoto narrowly lose to Tambuwal by 342 votes after a rerun.
Abia State saw the All Progressives Grand Alliance’s Enyinnaya Abaribe crush Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s Senate ambitions, while the LP’s Alex Otti wrested the governorship from the PDP. In Enugu, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was defeated in his Senate race by Labour’s Okechukwu Ezea. Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku lost his senatorial bid to APC’s David Jimkuta, and Kebbi Governor Abubakar Bagudu fell to PDP’s Adamu Aliero in the Kebbi Central senatorial district.
Yobe’s political landscape shifted when Speaker Ahmed Lawan lost his assembly seat for Nguru II to PDP newcomer Lawan Musa, who obtained 6,648 votes to Lawan’s 6,466. Musa, a former APC councillorship candidate who had faced arrests for criticizing the speaker, was urged by his community to contest and succeeded. Similarly, Zamfara State House Speaker Nasiru Magarya and Deputy Speaker Musa Bawa Yankuzo were both unseated by PDP candidates; Bilyaminu Ismail won the Zurmi West constituency with 11,213 votes to Magarya’s 9,530, and PDP’s Bello Mazawaje defeated Yankuzo 21,197 to 13,820.
Former Enugu East Senator Chimaroke Nnamani also lost his bid to return to the National Assembly, being defeated by Labour’s Kelvin Chukwu—a victory linked to the tragic murder of Chukwu’s brother, the original senatorial candidate. Nnamani blamed LP presidential candidate Peter Obi for his loss, accusing him of “wicked and dangerous politics,” and subsequently defected to the APC with his supporters.
Commenting on the elections, former President Major General Muhammadu Buhari expressed sadness over the losses of several APC candidates but praised voters for exercising their freedom to decide outcomes. Former Arewa Consultative Forum Secretary‑General Anthony Sani attributed the wave of defeats among incumbents and seasoned politicians to a heightened political awareness among the electorate nationwide.
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