The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the major political parties in Nigeria. The party was formed on the 6th of February, 2013 in anticipation of the 2015 elections. The People’s Democratic Party had won every Presidential election between 1999 and 2011 and was the presidential political party until the 2015 elections when the APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari won the Presidential seat.
This article is about the outcome of the 2019 governorship elections for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the controversies that ensued thereafter. Governors in Nigeria are elected for a term of four years and a maximum of two terms. The All Progressives Congress won the governorship seat in 15 states of the 36 states in Nigeria.
Below is a list of APC state governors, their respective deputy governors and the number of votes won by the APC for each state at the 2019 governorship elections which were held on the 9th of March 2019. The governorship elections were held for 29 of the 36 states of Nigeria.
List of APC Governors & Their States
State: Borno State
Governor: BabaGana Umara
Deputy Governor: Umar Usman Kadafur
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 1,175,445
State: Edo State
Governor: Godwin Obaseki
Deputy Governor: Philip Shaibu
Year of Election: 2016
State: Ekiti State
Governor: Kayode Fayemi
Deputy Governor: Kolapo Olushola
Year of Election: 2014
State: Gombe State
Governor: Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya
Deputy Governor: Manasseh Daniel Jatau
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 364,179
State: Jigawa State
Governor: Badaru Abubakar
Deputy Governor: Umar Alhaji Namadi
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 810,933
State: Kaduna State
Governor: Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai
Deputy Governor: Yusuf Barnabas Bala
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 1,044,710
State: Kano State
Governor: Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
Deputy Governor: Hafiz Abubakar
Year of Election: 2015
State: Katsina State
Governor: Aminu Bello Masari
Deputy Governor: Mannir Yakubu
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 1,178,868
State: Kebbi State
Governor: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu
Deputy Governor: Samaila Yombe Dabai
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 673,717
State: Kogi State
Governor: Yahaya Bello
Deputy Governor: Simon Achuba
Year of Election: 2016
State: Kwara State
Governor: AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq
Deputy Governor: Kayode Alibi
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 331,546
State: Lagos State
Governor: Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Deputy Governor: Kadri Obafemi Hamzat
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 739,445
State: Nasarawa State
Governor: Abdullahi Sule
Deputy Governor: Emmanuel Agbadu Akabe
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 327,229
State: Niger State
Governor: Abubakar Sani Bello
Deputy Governor: Ahmed Muhammad Ketso
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 526,351
State: Ogun State
Governor: Dapo Abiodun
Deputy Governor: Salako-Oyedele Noimot Olurotimi
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 241,670
State: Ondo State
Governor: Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu
Deputy Governor: Agboola Ajayi
Year of Election: 2017
State: Osun State
Governor: Adegboyega Oyetola
Deputy Governor: Gboyega Alabi
Year of Election: 2018
State: Plateau State
Governor: Simon Lalong
Deputy Governor: Sonni Gwanle Tyoden
Year of Election: 2015
Number of votes: 562,109
State: Yobe State
Governor: Mai Mala Buni
Deputy Governor: Idi Barade Gubana
Year of Election: 2019
Number of votes: 444,013
State: Imo State
Governor: Hope Uzodinma
Deputy Governor: Professor Placid Njoku
Year of Election: 2020
The results from the 29 states where elections were held showed the two major political parties both won and lost states. The All Progressives Congress, which controls the centre, won in 15 states; while the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party won elections in 14 states. The breakdown of results showed that the APC had a net loss of states while the PDP had a gain.
The APC Zamfara state governorship candidate was declared the winner of the election in the state. However, the case was taken to court by the PDP and the Supreme Court ruled that the PDP governorship candidate, Bello Marawalle and his running mate, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau be returned as Governor-elect and Deputy governor-elect respectively.
The governorship election did not hold in Kogi state, Osun state, Edo state, Ekiti state, Bayelsa state, Ondo state and Anambra state. This is because their elections fell outside the election cycle. Governorship elections in these states were held at different times or `off-season’, due to court judgments that nullified the election of their governors in the past.
In Osun State, the Peoples Democratic Party challenged the results of the election which declared Gboyega Oyetola as Governor of the State. Although the governorship election tribunal in Abuja declared the PDP Candidate, Ademola Adeleke the winner, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the court of appeal and declared Gboyega Oyetola of APC the governor of Osun state.
Elections in Plateau state, Benue state, Adamawa state, Kano state, Sokoto state, and Bauchi state were declared inconclusive. Elections are declared inconclusive for only one reason when the number of canceled votes can mathematically affect the outcome of the election.
So, for instance, if the margin of victory between the first-placed candidate and the second-placed candidate is 100, the number of canceled votes cannot be any more than 99.
If the number exceeds this and is about 101, or higher, then the election will have to be declared inconclusive since the second-placed candidate could have won the election if all 101 canceled votes cast their votes for just that candidate.
The electoral process in Rivers state was suspended due to reported violence during the exercise but was later held on the 3rd of April, where the INEC declared that the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike won the re-election.
History of APC leading up to the 2019 elections
The All Progressive Congress was formed on the 6th of February, 2013 in anticipation of the 2015 elections. In 2015, the APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election by almost 2.6 million votes. APC also won the majority of seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives. 2015 was the first time in Nigeria’s political history that an opposition political party unseated a ruling party in a general election and one in which power was transferred peacefully from one political party to the other. It was also the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria.
In 2019, Muhammadu Buhari was elected to a second term. However, the PDP rejected the outcome of the elections and have taken the case to court.