Jigawa, created from Kano in 1991, has followed the North-West’s broader political swings closely. The All People’s Party won it in 1999, the PDP took it in 2007 and the APC has held it since 2015. Every handover so far has been to a candidate who had been beaten in an earlier race or had served as deputy, and two of its governors went on to federal office.
1999 and 2003: Saminu Turaki
Ibrahim Saminu Turaki, a young businessman, won the January 1999 election for the APP with 279,591 votes, narrowly ahead of the PDP’s Sule Lamido on 255,773, the closest governorship result in the state’s history. In April 2003, running for the ANPP, Turaki was re-elected by a landslide, 816,383 votes to 265,494 for the PDP’s Mohammed Alkali. Turnout was high, with about 1.2 million of 1.64 million registered voters casting ballots. Turaki later faced a long corruption prosecution by the EFCC over the use of state funds.
2007 and 2011: Lamido’s PDP years
Lamido, who had been Obasanjo’s foreign minister from 1999 to 2003, finally won the governorship in April 2007 with 523,940 votes against 260,055 for the ANPP’s Mohammed Ibrahim. He was re-elected in April 2011 with 676,307 votes, beating Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, a businessman then running for the Action Congress of Nigeria, who polled 343,177.
2015 and 2019: Badaru
Badaru tried again in 2015 on the APC ticket and, with Muhammadu Buhari at the top of the ballot, won on 11 April with 648,045 votes against 479,447 for Lamido’s preferred successor, the PDP’s Aminu Ibrahim Ringim. In March 2019 he beat Ringim again, far more comfortably, 810,933 votes to 288,356, while the APC won all 30 seats in the state assembly. Badaru became Minister of Defence in August 2023.
2023: the deputy and the son
Badaru’s deputy, Umar Namadi, an accountant and former state finance commissioner, won the APC ticket in May 2022. His main opponent was Mustapha Sule Lamido, a businessman and son of the former governor. On 18 March 2023 Namadi won with 618,449 votes (59.9%) to 368,726 (35.7%).
The results at a glance
| Year | Winner (party) | Votes | Runner-up (party) | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (APP) | 279,591 | Sule Lamido (PDP) | 255,773 |
| 2003 | Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (ANPP) | 816,383 | Mohammed Alkali (PDP) | 265,494 |
| 2007 | Sule Lamido (PDP) | 523,940 | Mohammed Ibrahim (ANPP) | 260,055 |
| 2011 | Sule Lamido (PDP) | 676,307 | Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (ACN) | 343,177 |
| 2015 | Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (APC) | 648,045 | Aminu Ibrahim Ringim (PDP) | 479,447 |
| 2019 | Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (APC) | 810,933 | Aminu Ibrahim Ringim (PDP) | 288,356 |
| 2023 | Umar Namadi (APC) | 618,449 | Mustapha Sule Lamido (PDP) | 368,726 |
2027: a rematch
Namadi is seeking a second term on the APC ticket in the 6 February 2027 election. INEC’s final list shows the PDP again fielding Mustapha Sule Lamido, making it a rematch of 2023, with Sabo Mohammed Nakudu for the ADC. Jigawa has never voted out a sitting governor seeking re-election.
