Kebbi, in Nigeria’s far north-west, has changed ruling party twice since 1999, and its governorship has been decided in the courts more than once. The All People’s Party and its successor, the ANPP, held the state until 2007; the PDP until 2015; and the APC since.
1999 and 2003: Aliero
Adamu Aliero won the January 1999 election for the APP with 259,498 votes against 208,552 for the PDP’s Mohammed Kaliel. He was re-elected for the ANPP in April 2003 with 502,903 votes to 299,120 for the PDP’s Saidu Samaila Sambawa. Aliero later joined the PDP, served as FCT minister under President Yar’Adua and spent many years in the Senate.
2007 to 2012: Dakingari and the courts
Saidu Usman Nasamu Dakingari, a son-in-law of the PDP presidential candidate Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, won the April 2007 election with 469,595 votes against 134,553 for the ANPP’s Farouk Bello Bunza.
His re-election in April 2011 over Abubakar Abubakar of the Congress for Progressive Change set off a long legal fight. In November 2011 the election tribunal nullified the result and ordered a fresh vote. The Court of Appeal in Sokoto reversed it in December, but on 24 February 2012 the Supreme Court restored the tribunal’s ruling because the appeal court had given the reasons for its judgment after the constitutional 60-day deadline. In the rerun on 31 March 2012, marked by very low turnout and a CPC complaint about the conduct of the poll, Dakingari polled 875,492 votes to Abubakar’s 17,918.
2015 and 2019: Bagudu
The APC’s Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, a businessman and senator, won in April 2015 with 477,376 votes against 293,443 for the PDP’s Bello Sarkin Yaki. In March 2019 he won a second term by 673,717 votes to 106,633 for the PDP’s Isa Mohammed Galaudu. Bagudu became Minister of Budget and Economic Planning in 2023.
2023: the teachers’ leader
The APC primary in May 2022 produced a surprise: Nasir Idris, the national president of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, beat the Senate Majority Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, for the ticket. On 18 March 2023 the election was declared inconclusive, and a supplementary vote was held on 15 April. Idris was then declared the winner with 409,225 votes (52.4%) against 360,940 (46.2%) for the PDP’s retired general Aminu Bande. The tribunal, the Court of Appeal and, in January 2024, the Supreme Court upheld his victory.
The results at a glance
| Year | Winner (party) | Votes | Runner-up (party) | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Adamu Aliero (APP) | 259,498 | Mohammed Kaliel (PDP) | 208,552 |
| 2003 | Adamu Aliero (ANPP) | 502,903 | Saidu Samaila Sambawa (PDP) | 299,120 |
| 2007 | Saidu Dakingari (PDP) | 469,595 | Farouk Bello Bunza (ANPP) | 134,553 |
| 2011 | Saidu Dakingari (PDP), annulled | not verified | Abubakar Abubakar (CPC) | not verified |
| 2012 rerun | Saidu Dakingari (PDP) | 875,492 | Abubakar Abubakar (CPC) | 17,918 |
| 2015 | Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (APC) | 477,376 | Bello Sarkin Yaki (PDP) | 293,443 |
| 2019 | Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (APC) | 673,717 | Isa Mohammed Galaudu (PDP) | 106,633 |
| 2023 | Nasir Idris (APC) | 409,225 | Aminu Bande (PDP) | 360,940 |
Published figures for the annulled April 2011 election conflict, so we have left them out. If you have the official INEC return, send a correction from this page.
2027: Idris against Malami
Idris is the APC candidate for a second term in the 6 February 2027 election. His best-known opponent is Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation under President Buhari from 2015 to 2023, who won the ADC ticket in May 2026. INEC’s final list shows no PDP candidate in Kebbi; the Labour Party is fielding Usman Aliyu and APGA Abubakar Suru Abdullahi.
