2023 Niger State gubernatorial election

The 2023 Niger State gubernatorial election will take place on 11 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Niger State, concurrent with elections to the Niger State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly.[1][2] The election will be held two weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent APC Governor Abubakar Sani Bello is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.

2023 Niger State gubernatorial election
11 March 2023
 
Party APC PDP
Governor before election

Abubakar Sani Bello
APC

 Elected Governor

TBD
TBD

Electoral system

The governor of Niger State is elected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of state local government areas. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.

Background

Niger State is a large, diverse state in the North Central with agricultural and energy potential but facing a debilitated health sector and intense challenges in security as the nationwide kidnapping epidemic, bandit conflict, and herder–farmer clashes have all heavily affected the state with added fears of ISWAP encroachment.[3][4]

Politically, the state's 2019 elections were a solidification of the control of the state APC. In federal elections, Buhari retained the state presidentially while the APC swept all three senate seats and ten House of Representatives seats. On the state level, the party also held the governorship and kept the majority in the House of Assembly.

Ahead of his second term, Bello pledged to focus on education, increasing agricultural production, affordable housing, and improving access to clean drinking water.[5]

In terms of his performance, Bello was praised for expanding the energy sector but was criticized for failing to combat rising insecurity, poor road infrastructure, a failure to pay teacher salaries and the ensuing educator strike, having a political opponent imprisoned, and his role in the March 2022 APC leadership crisis.[6][7][8][9]

Primary elections

The primaries, along with any potential challenges to primary results, will take place between 4 April and 3 June 2022.[2] An informal zoning gentlemen's agreement sets the Niger South Senatorial District to produce the next governor as someone from Niger South has not held the governorship since 2007. While only the PDP has closed their primaries to non-Southern candidates, nearly all potential candidates are from the South and it appears as if both major parties are holding to the zoning agreement.[10]

All Progressives Congress

On 20 April 2022, the APC National Executive Committee announced the party's schedule for gubernatorial primaries, setting its expression of interest form price at ₦10 million and nomination form price at ₦40 million with a 50% nomination form discount for candidates younger than 40 while women and candidates with disabilities get free nomination forms. Forms are to be sold from 26 April until 6 May; after the submission of nomination forms by 10 May, candidates are to be screened by a party committee on 12 May while 14 May is the date for the screening appeal process. Ward congresses and LGA congresses are set for between 7 and 9 May to elect delegates for the primary. Candidates approved by the screening process will advance to a primary set for 18 May, in concurrence with other APC gubernatorial primaries; challenges to the result can be made on 20 May.[11][12][13]

Declared
  • Abubakar Garba Ibrahim Dodo: engineer[14]
  • Mohammed Idris Malagi: publisher of Blueprint
  • Muhammed Nda: teacher and lecturer[15]

Potential

People's Democratic Party

In June 2020, Niger PDP then-Caretaker Committee Chairman Garba Umaru announced that the party had zoned their gubernatorial nomination to Niger South Senatorial District as a part of an internal party deal to cede the deputy gubernatorial slot to Niger East Senatorial District while Niger South would hold the party chairmanship until handing over to Niger North.[17] Zoning the PDP nomination to Niger South was reaffirmed in February 2022 by now-state party chairman Tanko Beji and other state party leaders.[18] By April 2022, the state party had reportedly chose Isah Liman Kantigi as its consensus nominee.[19] By April 2022, the state party leadership also intended to use the consensus method for the nomination with a meeting resulting in Isah Liman Kantigi's emergence as the intended nominee but the plan fell through when rival candidates rejected the arrangement and bought forms anyway.[20]

On 16 March 2022, the national PDP announced its gubernatorial primaries' schedule, setting its expression of interest form price at ₦1 million and the nomination form price at ₦20 million with a 50% discount for candidates between 25 and 30. Forms were to be sold until 1 April but the party later extended the deadline four times before reaching a final deadline of 22 April. After the submission of nomination forms by 25 April, candidates are to be screened by a party committee on 28 April while 2 May is the rescheduled date for the screening appeal process. Ward congresses are set for 29 April and LGA congresses are set for 5 May to elect delegates for the primary.[21] Candidates approved by the screening process will advance to a primary set for 21 May, in concurrence with all other PDP gubernatorial primaries; challenges to the result can be made on 24 May.[22][23]

Declared

See also

References
  1. Oyekanmi, Rotimi (26 February 2022). "It's Official: 2023 Presidential, National Assembly Elections to Hold Feb 25". INEC News. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  2. Jimoh, Abbas (26 February 2022). "INEC Sets New Dates For 2023 General Elections". Daily Trust. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. "Bandits Occupy 12 Of 25 Local Government Areas In Niger State, Governor Laments". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  4. Olaniyi, Muideen. "Sani Bello: Niger Has Recorded 50 Attacks, Lost 220 Lives In January Alone". Daily Trust. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  5. "Listicle: 12 Things Gov Abubakar Sani Bello Said In His Speech". Daily Trust. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  6. "NIGERIAN GOVERNORS: Fumbling, wobbling dominate June 2020 performance". Ripples Nigeria. Retrieved 28 April 2022. Niger State in North Central Nigeria is stuck between two evils; growing attacks by bandits and collapsed road infrastructures...We are worried that Governor Sani Bello seems unable to muster the necessary will power to address these twin evils, leaving the state largely without the needed presence of governance that addresses the immediate needs of the people.
  7. Wakaso, Aisha. "Parents lament as Niger pupils stay home over teachers strike". The Punch. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  8. Ogundipe, Samuel. "Critic of Niger governor sent to prison for 'intentional insult'". Premium Times. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  9. "Ranking Nigerian Governors Feb/March 2022: APC Govs' dirty fight, Sanwo-Olu's BRT snag, Wike's uncouthness, Umahi's meltdown". Ripples Nigeria. Retrieved 28 April 2022. One of the damning moments in the months under review was the disgraceful faceoff between All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, namely Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, in their bid to wrestle the control of APC from the hands of the party’s Caretaker Chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.
  10. Asishana, Justina. "Niger 2023: The race for guber tickets". The Nation. Retrieved 23 April 2022. In Niger state, the issue of zoning appears settled as the 2023 governorship slot has been zoned to Niger South senatorial district which has eight local government areas namely Agaie, Bida, Edati, Gbako, Katcha, Lapai, Lavun and Mokwa local government areas. Although the governorship seat has been zoned to these local governments, it was learnt that Gbako, Lavun, Edati and Gbako have been thumbed to provide the next Governor. Zoning remains sacrosanct in Niger state, reason why both the APC and PDP are not ready to overrule the rotation arrangement that have been in place and they are each sizing up every aspirant to know who would be the best candidate from the favoured zone.
  11. Majeed, Bakare (20 April 2022). "UPDATED: 2023: APC fixes presidential forms for N100 million, adopts indirect primaries". Premium Times. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  12. Angbulu, Stephen; Ayeni, Victor; Dada, Peter; Naku, Dennis; Ede, Raphael (21 April 2022). "Presidential primary: APC silent on zoning, Nigerians condemn N100m nomination fee". The Punch. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. APC Nigeria [@OfficialAPCNg] (April 25, 2022). "OFFICIAL" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 April 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. Ibrahim, Abubakar. "Niger 2023: Aspirant promises a better Niger State". National Daily Newspaper. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  15. Asishana, Justina. "13 aspirants eyeing Niger Government House". The Nation. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  16. "Niger 2023: Rotation governorship not constitutional – Gov. Sani Bello". Vanguard. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  17. Nnadozie, Chinwendu. "2023: Niger State PDP Announces Zoning Of Elective Positions". Independent Nigeria. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  18. Dennis, Priscilla. "PDP assures its governship flag bearer will emerge from Niger South zone". Daily Post. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  19. Adams, John. "Road to 2023: Niger PDP settles for consensus governorship candidate". The Sun. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  20. Nmodu, Abu. "As PDP's Search For Consensus Candidate Hits A Brick Wall In Niger". Leadership. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  21. Angbulu, Stephen (21 April 2022). "2023: PDP extends sale of forms for fourth time". The Punch. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  22. Yakubu, Dirisu (16 March 2022). "[BREAKING] 2023: PDP Presidential primary holds in May". Vanguard. Abuja. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  23. Akpan, Samuel (17 March 2022). "2023: PDP releases pre-election schedule, fixes presidential primary poll for May 28". TheCable. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. Nmodu, Abu. "2023: Ex-sport Minister Joins Niger Gov'ship Race". Leadership. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  25. Dipo, Laleye. "Drama As 2 Groups Attempt to Purchase Nomination Form for Niger PDP". ThisDay. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  26. Nnadozie, Chinwendu. "2023: Former Commissioner Joins Niger Guber Race". Independent Nigeria. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
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