Politics
2027: Succession Fever As 10 Governors Prepare For Handover
Succession storms are brewing in no fewer than 10 states where governors are nearing the end of their second and final terms in office.
In May 2023, 28 governors were sworn into office, while eight other states held off-cycle inaugurations.
Of the 28, 18 began their first terms, while the remaining 10 commenced their final terms in office.
The 10 governors are those of Oyo, Gombe, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Borno, Nasarawa, Kwara, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
Seven of them are members of the All Progressives Congress, while the remaining three belong to the Peoples Democratic Party.
Findings by The Sunday PUNCH showed that no fewer than 22 politicians have so far declared their interest in Nasarawa, Lagos, and Ogun, while the names of some political heavyweights continue to dominate conversations within both the APC and PDP in those states.
Campaign posters have also started flooding some states, even as outgoing governors keep their succession plans secret.
Lagos and Tinubu’s loyalists
In Lagos, our correspondents gathered that the ball is firmly in the court of the ruling APC, with the final decision resting on President Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the state.
However, underground politicking is intensifying, as five political heavyweights are being linked to the 2027 governorship race, despite none of them making an official declaration yet.
According to a reliable party source, among those being considered are the current Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
Others are Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo, also known as Tokunbo Abiru, who currently represents Lagos East in the Senate; the Chief of Staff to the President and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, and the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu.
The current Principal Secretary to the President and former Lagos State Head of Service, Muri Okunola, has also been touted as a possible candidate.
“But from my experience, Tinubu may not pick any of these loyalists. History has shown he often brings someone unexpected and gives that person full support. That is how he works. All these people making noise now are just distractions. Tinubu will not pick any of them. I am very sure of that,” the party source stated.
When contacted, the APC Publicity Secretary for the state, Seye Oladejo, said the party was busy with plans for the forthcoming local government election, adding that the 2027 governorship race agenda would come after the LG poll.
However, opposition parties said they had started making plans for the governorship election and were ready to challenge the APC dominance in the state.
The Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Mr Tai Benedict, said some politicians had already indicated interest in contesting the election on the platform of the party.
“One of them is Funso Doherty, and we have others. But not until later we cannot decide. We do not want to be in the same problem we had when Jandor (Abdul-Azeez Adediran) came and stole the show. This time around, we have to look inwards so that we do not pick the wrong candidate,” he added.
The Chairman of the Julius Abure-led Labour Party in the state, Mrs Dayo Ekong, said the party had started making plans for the governorship election.
“We have been doing our grassroots mobilisation and building our structures across all the polling units in the state, and we are sure of building on the gains of the last election,” the Secretary of the party, Sam Okpala, added.
20 aspirants declare interest in Nasarawa
Ahead of the governorship election, political heavyweights across Nasarawa State have started jostling for the state’s number one seat as the second tenure of the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Sule, will soon elapse.
Political observers say the 2027 elections, especially that of the governorship, will be an interesting battle among top politicians in the various parties in the state.
According to the state governor, no fewer than 20 persons from the APC, PDP, among others, have declared interest in contesting for his seat.
Consultations, alignments, and re-alignments across the 13 local government areas in the state have also intensified.
Some of the notable contenders across party lines are a former Minister of the Environment, Muhammad-Hassan Abdullahi; a former governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, David Ombugadu; Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), and the Accountant General of the state, Dr Musa Mohammed.
Others are a former head of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Prof. Mohammed Haruna; former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaibu; a former Inspector of Police of Police, Muhammed Adamu; a top APC stakeholder in the state, Shehu Tukur; Abu Giza, and Mohammad Maikaya from Toto LGA of the state.
Posters of some of the aspirants have already appeared in strategic locations within the Lafia metropolis and other major towns in the state.
One of our correspondents observed that even though zoning is not recognised in the 1999 Constitution, the questions of which zone produces Sule’s successor and whether the zoning formula will count in the contest are generating debate among political actors in the state.
Wale Edun, Yayi warm up in Ogun
In Ogun State, some notable politicians have been identified as the likely successors to Governor Dapo Abiodun. Most of them are within the ruling APC.
Among them is the Senator representing Ogun West in the Senate, Olamilekan Adeola, aka Yayi.
Adeola, who at one time was a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, House of Representatives member representing Alimosho federal constituency, and a two-term Senator representing Lagos West senatorial district, returned to Ogun State in the build-up to the 2023 general elections to represent Ogun West senatorial district.
Since returning to Ogun state, Yayi has been seen as a frontrunner in the 2027 governorship seat contest. Adeola is said to be enjoying the backing of President Tinubu, having worked with him in Lagos State for a number of years.
Another politician said that the likely occupant of the Oke Mosan Governor’s Office come 2027 is Gboyega Isiaka, currently representing Imeko-Afon/Yewa North Federal constituency.
Isiaka had contested the governorship seat in Ogun State three times: 2011 under the Peoples Party of Nigeria, 2015 under PDP, and ADC in 2019.
He later defected to the APC and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2023.
One other name in the race is a former Minister of Steel and immediate past Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafadeen Ishola.
Similarly, the Coordinating Minister of Economy, Mr Wale Edun, is another politician said to be warming up for the 2027 governorship race.
The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, is also said to be eyeing the coveted seat by 2027.
For the opposition parties, only the PDP has a pronounced governorship aspirant, Oladipupo Adebutu, a former House of Representatives member representing Remo federal constituency.
Adebutu was also the opposition party’s governorship candidate in 2023 before he lost to Abiodun.
Saraki spearheads PDP’s Kwara comeback.
The 2027 governorship race is gathering momentum in Kwara State following a resolve of the PDP to reclaim the state from the ruling APC.
Even though the APC is yet to make a public declaration on the 2027 governorship plans, there are indications that the state governor, Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, who is the party leader in the state, will try to retain the state.
With the state governor being out of the state for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who leads the PDP in the state, has taken advantage of the Sallah celebration to restructure the opposition party over the past few days.
Saraki, who supervised the pre-registration of members of PDP, said he received new members into the party in Ajikobi ward in Ilorin West LGA of Kwara State.
Speaking in an interview with journalists recently, Saraki said he was encouraged by the turnout of members for the re-registration into the party, adding that he also received new members into the party.
On the ability of the party to stage a comeback in 2027, Saraki said, “We are even more encouraged by the level of enthusiasm that we are getting. People are coming out to register for the party; people are tired of the state of affairs in the state. New members are coming out to join the party.
“At the same time, all our old members are very active. The members we have seen are very impressive. I think the factors of what people are going through in the state the insecurity, unemployment, hunger, and lack of a lack of governance. So, we are confident that the PDP will bounce back in 2027,” he added.
As of Thursday, only one politician, Ladi Hassan, has declared intention to contest the governorship of the state on the platform of the PDP.
Other aspirants in the party include a former member of the House of Representatives and ex-speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Prof Ali Ahmad.
Saraki, however, said he would give all aspirants a level playing ground, adding that he had no preferred candidate.
In the APC, none of the aspirants has made a public declaration, though there has been an off-the-scene campaign by some of them. But the governor is seen to be favouring the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi, who is from the Kwara North Senatorial zone.
Other aspirants, who have also been working underground, include the Senator presently representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar; Director General of the Nigeria Institute for Legislative Studies, Prof Abubakar Suleiman; Campaign DG of Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq re-election in 2023, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki; and the senator representing Kwara Central and the Turaki of Ilorin, Senator Saliu Mustapha.
However, the state APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said the party had yet to start its campaign.
Five contenders in Gombe
Though Governor Muhammed Yahaya of Gombe State has not publicly spoken about his preferred successor, his party, the APC, will not take the lead in determining the next governor of the state.
According to sources in the party, the Commissioner for Finance, Gambo Magaji; the current Minister of Transportation and former senator, Saidu Alkali; and former Minister of Digital Economy, Prof Ali Pantami, are among the strong contenders for the race in the state.
For the PDP, it is believed that Jibrin Barde, who was the party’s 2023 candidate, is likely to recontest.
He came in a distant second during the last election.
A former gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in 2023, Ahmed Mailantarki, who recently defected to the PDP, is another politician being mentioned.
Borno awaits Zulum’s choice.
In Borno State, while it is still unclear who will be Governor Babagana Zulum’s candidate, there are indications that the next governor will be from one of the Senators representing the state in the National Assembly.
A source within the APC expressed confidence that anyone chosen by the governor would get the people’s support.
“Of course, anyone Zulum appoints will emerge. Everyone can not like you, but I can categorically tell you that Zulum is popular and his people are behind him. For any opposition to unseat the party in this state, it is difficult,” the source said.
As of the time of filling this report, no opposition aspirant has spoken about their ambition, but speculations of a coalition is brewing in the state.
Oyo PDP in disarray
Some prominent chieftains of the PDP in Oyo State are set to dump the party.
A party source told our correspondent in Ibadan, the state capital, that the aggrieved members were already in advanced consultations for a coalition with the African Democratic Congress.
The source, who did not want his name in print, said, “The aggrieved chieftains, alongside their followers, are already in advanced consultations with opposition parties and may announce their formal departure in the next couple of weeks.
“The majority of these party chieftains are well-grounded in their wards and local governments within the state. They are grassroots politicians.”
Another source said the planned defection was being fuelled by “mounting dissatisfaction over the party’s internal handling of power distribution, appointments, and continued marginalisation of loyal stakeholders who played key roles in securing victory for the party in the past elections.”
“The aggrieved politicians have endured systematic exclusion and political betrayal under the current party structure in the state. Many of these leaders have been sidelined, used, and dumped. There is no political reward system for loyalty anymore in the state PDP.
“How do you expect men who sacrificed everything for the party to continue to remain silent when they and their followers are consistently ignored?
“These leaders are not just leaving alone, they are leaving with their structures. That’s thousands of committed party loyalists across the state. The PDP leadership should be worried,” the source added.
SOURCE: PUNCH
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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