Saturday, November 11, residents of Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, respectively, will be going to the poll, to elect a new governor as the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC conducts the states’ off-cycle governorship polls.
The off-cycle elections have drawn the attention of political enthusiasts and citizens eager to witness a fresh democratic dispensation in these states.
As the electoral atmosphere charges, it is necessary to profile key individuals running for governor in these off-cycle polls, shedding light on their backgrounds and political antecedents.
BAYELSA STATE
In Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria, 16 candidates will be slugging it out to win the top seat of the oil-rich Niger-Delta state.
The major three candidates include the incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former governor and the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Udengmobofa Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP).
Douye Diri
Diri, a former House of Representatives member, senator, and Commissioner for Youth and Sports in the state. He became governor following a court judgement that disqualified the winner of the 2019 governorship election in the state, David Lyon.
The 2019 election in Bayelsa was between Diri of the PDP and Lyon of APC.
Lyon won with 352,552 votes, defeating Diri of the PDP with 143,172 votes.
However, a day before his swearing-in, the Supreme Court sacked him as governor-elect because his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, forged the certificate he submitted to INEC.
Diri will be banking on the fact that the PDP has led the state since the nation returned to democracy in 1999.
Timipre Sylva
Sylva is the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum. He was also a former governor of the state. He governed the state under PDP.
Among others, Sylva will be counting on his accomplishments when he led the state and the clout of his party, the APC, at the national level.
Udengs Eradiri
It is poised that the youth’s support for him may swing the pendulum in his favour.
An engineer, he is a former president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, commissioner, and special adviser on youth matters in the NDDC.
He will also be capitalising on the popularity of Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential election, to cause an upset to his favour.
KOGI STATE
According to the candidates’ list published by INEC, the governorship elections in Kogi State will be keenly contested by 18 candidates.
Kogi faces substantial security issues, which have a cause of concern since the campaigns begin.
Among the leading candidates jostling for the number one seat to Lord Lugard House are Ododo Usman Ahmed, APC, Dino Melaye of the PDP, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Leke Abejide of African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Usman Ahmed Ododo
Ododo is a former Auditor-General for local government in the state.
He enjoys the advantage of being the only candidate from the central senatorial district of the state, the support of the incumbent governor Yahaya Bello, and his party (the APC), which leads at the federal level.
Ahmed Usman Ododo, the APC candidate for the Kogi governorship election is however, faced with opposition from some members of his party who lost out in the primaries.
Dino Melaye
Dino is the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Saturday’s election.
A former House of Representatives member and distinguish senator, Melaye contested the governorship primaries of his party in 2019 and lost.
He was the spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
He is famous for his flamboyance life style and hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of the state.
Muritala Yakubu Ajaka
Ajaka was the former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC. He resigned his party membership, after which he emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of the SDP for the November 11 election in Kogi state.
Many residents see him as one of the likely winners.
He is from the eastern senatorial district, the region with the highest number of voters and population in the state.
Leke Abejide
Abejide is a serving House of Representatives member elected on the platform of the (ADC). He represents the Yagba Federal Constituency.
He was reelected on February 25, 2023, for a second term.
Abejide is running for the Kogi governorship seat on the ADC platform.
He is one of the three candidates from the Kogi West Senatorial District.
Imo State
Insecurity has been a major challenge in the Southeast region, and it has led to the deaths of more than 1,700 people between January 2021 and June 2023, with special attention on Hope Uzodinma’s Imo state.
Deaths occur from protests, armed clashes, abductions, mob violence, activities of secessionist groups, riots, electoral violence, and other causes.
In Imo, INEC cleared 17 candidates for the forthcoming governorship election.
The major candidates are the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma of the APC, Athan Nneji Aconu, LP and Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP.
Hope Uzodinma
Uzodimma has been Imo State governor since 2020, after the Supreme Court nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP and declared him the winner.
He is the current chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum.
He has the advantage of incumbency, enjoying the support of his party APC – the ruling party at the national level.
In August, Uzodimma dropped his deputy and unveiled Chinyere Ekomaru as his running mate for theNovember poll.
Athan Achonu
He is the LP’s candidate for the election.
He served briefly in the National Assembly as a senator before the courts sacked him.
Achonu has built a name for himself by embracing his disability and may enjoy the support of people living with disability in the state.
If he wins the election, he will become the nation’s first amputee governor.
He will also bank on the LP’s success in the South-East during the February and March general elections.
Samuel Anyanwu
Anyanwu was the former National Secretary of the PDP before contesting the governorship election in Imo State. Served as a senator in the 8th National Assembly.
He contested for the PDP ticket in 2019 but was defeated by Emeka Ihedioha in the party primary.
A former local government chairman and State House of Assembly member from 2007 to 2015, he is well-grounded in the state’s local politics.
The November 11 off season election in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi promises to be interesting, given the heavyweights vying for the exalted seats in the states. Let the electorate cast their votes and let their votes count.
