5 Important things you really need to know about today’s Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct governorship elections in Nigeria on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

Here are 5 things you need to know about the state-wide vote:

1..Only 29 States out of Nigeria’s 36, will be electing governors

Seven of the states won’t be voting for governors because their own elections took place “off season”.

In these seven states, elections will be staggered—that means elections in these seven states hold at different times in different months of different years–not March 9, 2019.

You got that, didn’t you?

Cool.

2..The following states won’t be holding elections on March 9:

Osun

Ekiti

Edo

Anambra

Kogi

Ondo

Bayelsa

*FCT Abuja

3..However, even though only 29 states will be electing governors on March 9, State House of Assembly Elections will be conducted in all 36 States.

In plain, simple English, new lawmakers at state level will emerge across all the states on March 9.

“So, there will be governorship election in 29 states. And in all the states of the federation, there will be state assemblies election and in the FCT where the Area Council election coincides with the general election”, says INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu.

4..On March 9, INEC will also be conducting elections in 68 constituencies, which translates to six area council chairmanship positions and 62 local government councils.

5..The governorship elections in Rivers and Kano States will likely be walkovers for incumbent Governors Nyesom Wike and Abdullahi Ganduje, respectively, as they seek second terms in office. We’d tell you why, in a bit.

On Friday, Feb 8, 2019, the Supreme Court upheld the judgement of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, barring the All Progressives Congress (APC) from fielding a governorship candidate in Rivers State, because the APC didn’t adhere to INEC guidelines on the conduct of primary elections in Rivers.

What this means is that Wike of the PDP won’t have an APC challenger breathing down his neck. Oh, how he loves this moment!

And on Monday, March 4, 2019, the Kano division of the Federal High Court barred the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Yusuf, from contesting in the March 9 election.

Justice Lewis Allagoa ruled that the PDP primary election in Kano which threw up Yusuf as governorship flag bearer, wasn’t properly conducted.