40 stories
Nasarawa elected Nigeria's only CPC governor in 2011 by fewer than 5,000 votes, and in 2023 a tribunal briefly removed its governor before the higher courts restored him. Every result since 1999.
For two decades the Saraki family decided who governed Kwara. In 2019 the "O to ge" ("Enough is enough") campaign ended that, and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq won every local government. Every result since 1999, and the 2027 race.
Kogi votes off-cycle because of a 2008 rerun. Its 2015 election was thrown into confusion when the leading candidate died before the result was declared, and a substitute became governor. Every result since 1999.
Benue was a PDP state for 16 years, elected a governor who switched parties twice, and in 2023 chose a suspended Catholic priest. The results since 1999, and a 2027 race against a former Attorney-General.
Zamfara introduced sharia criminal law, saw the Supreme Court hand every 2019 seat to the party that came second, and has voted out two sitting governors. In 2027 Governor Dauda Lawal runs on the APC ticket.
Sokoto has seen an annulled election, a governorship cut short by the Supreme Court, a Speaker who became governor and switched parties, and in 2019 one of the narrowest wins in Nigerian history.
Kebbi has had four governors since 1999. One won his second term only after the Supreme Court annulled the first result; the current governor was national president of the teachers' union. In 2027 he faces a former Attorney-General.
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua governed Katsina before becoming President, and Muhammadu Buhari's home state swung to the APC with him in 2015. Every governorship result since 1999, and the 2027 race.
Kaduna has had six governors since 1999: one became Vice-President, one died in a helicopter crash and one lost his seat to Nasir El-Rufai. Its 2023 race was decided by less than one percentage point.
Jigawa has changed ruling party twice since 1999, each time with the national tide. In 2027 Governor Umar Namadi faces the son of former governor Sule Lamido for the second time.
Yobe has elected an opposition or APC governor at every election since 1999, through a governor's death in office and the Boko Haram insurgency. The results, the margins and the 2027 field.
Taraba elected a PDP governor at every election from 1999 to 2023, through a plane crash that left the state without an active governor, a tribunal ruling that briefly handed victory to "Mama Taraba", and a governor's jailing. Then the governor joined the APC.
Gombe has had four governors since 1999. One lost re-election, two served two PDP terms each, and the APC has held the state since 2019. In 2027 a three-time candidate leads the APC ticket and the PDP has no candidate at all.
Borno has never elected a PDP governor. Its elections since 1999 have been shaped by party splits, a candidate's assassination and Boko Haram, and they produced a Vice-President and the professor-governor Babagana Zulum.
Bauchi has voted out a sitting governor, swapped parties three times and in 2019 produced one of the tightest results in the country. Every governorship result since 1999, with the 2027 field.
Adamawa has had an election annulled, a governor impeached, a deputy installed by a court and, in 2023, a winner declared by an official with no power to do so. Every result since 1999, explained.
Governor Charles Soludo of APGA won a second term on 8 November 2025 with 422,664 votes, more than four times the APC's total, in an election marked by low turnout and claims of vote buying.
Rivers has produced some of Nigeria's largest declared vote totals, a governor installed by the Supreme Court without standing in an election, and in 2025 a six-month state of emergency.
