Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi governorship election begin

By Hannah Nathan, Warri

Voters in the states of Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa will choose their new governors today in off-cycle elections.

The South East, South South, and North Central areas of Nigeria are included in these elections.

The current governors in Imo and Bayelsa are running for reelection, and Kogi State will choose a new governor.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will work to hold onto power in Bayelsa State, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeks to hold onto power in the states of Kogi and Imo.

Ever since 1999, Bayelsa had been a bastion of the PDP. In 2019, a Supreme Court ruling caused the province to lose its power, but it soon regained it.

Major opponents of Governor Douye Diri, who is seeking reelection under the PDP, include Udengs Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP) and former governor Timipre Sylva of the APC.

After serving two terms as governor by constitutional decree, Kogi State’s people will choose a new state leader.

The incumbent’s chosen candidate, Ododo Usman Ahmed of the APC, faces off against three other candidates: Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dino Melaye of the PDP, and Murtala Yakubu Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, in Imo has approved 17 candidates for the gubernatorial election scheduled for today.

The leaders of the group are Labour, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Samuel Anyanwu, and the All Progressives Congress’s Governor Uzodinma.