In 2027, 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states will elect governors on the same day, 6 March. The other eight, Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun, hold their governorship elections on their own dates. These off-cycle elections exist because, at some point since 1999, a governor’s four-year term in each of these states restarted on a different date.
The rule behind it
Under the Constitution, a governor holds office for four years from the date they take the oath. When a court removes a governor and installs someone else, or rules that a governor’s term began late, the new four-year clock starts from that day. The next election must then take place near the end of that new term, not alongside the rest of the country.
State by state
| State | What moved it off-cycle | Usually votes |
|---|---|---|
| Anambra | Supreme Court restored Peter Obi in 2007, ruling his term ran from 2006 | November |
| Bayelsa | Governor Timipre Sylva’s term was reset after his 2007 election was annulled and rerun in 2008 | November |
| Edo | Court of Appeal installed Adams Oshiomhole in November 2008 | September |
| Ekiti | Court of Appeal installed Kayode Fayemi in October 2010 | June |
| Imo | Supreme Court installed Hope Uzodimma in January 2020 | November |
| Kogi | Governor Ibrahim Idris’s 2007 election was annulled and rerun in 2008 | November |
| Ondo | Court of Appeal installed Olusegun Mimiko in February 2009 | November |
| Osun | Court of Appeal installed Rauf Aregbesola in November 2010 | July or August |
Adamawa, Cross River and Sokoto also had governorship elections annulled and rerun in 2008, but later changes, including the Supreme Court’s ruling on tenure, brought them back onto the main calendar.
Do off-cycle elections help or hurt?
Supporters say off-cycle elections let INEC and observers concentrate resources on one state, and that results tend to be cleaner as a result. Critics say they turn each election into a costly national contest in which federal power, money and security deployments weigh heavily, and that vote buying has been especially visible in some off-cycle polls, such as Ekiti in 2018 and Ondo in 2024.
There have been proposals to bring all elections back to a single day, which would require a constitutional amendment.
The latest off-cycle results
- Ekiti, 20 June 2026: Biodun Oyebanji (APC) re-elected.
- Osun, 15 August 2026: Ademola Adeleke (Accord) re-elected.
- Anambra, November 2025: Charles Soludo (APGA) re-elected.
- Ondo, November 2024: Lucky Aiyedatiwa (APC) elected.
- Edo, September 2024: Monday Okpebholo (APC) elected.
- Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa, November 2023: Usman Ododo (APC), Hope Uzodimma (APC) and Douye Diri (PDP).
