As the country witnessed a transition of power between the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the federal level today, there will also be the inauguration of new governments in 28 states of the federation.
There will be new governments in 18 states while 10 Governors will be kick-starting a fresh mandate of four years.
Governors who will be starting a second term in office are Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara).
It is pertinent to note that 16 governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will start government at the state level today. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 10 governors, while Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have one, each.
Here are the new kids on the block
Akwa Ibom
Governor Emmanuel Udom will transmit power to his loyalist Umo Eno who will steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.
Eno amassed 356,346 votes to defeat the APC and Young Progressives Party candidates had 129,602 and 136,262 votes, respectively.
Katsina
The ruling APC will continue in power for another four years as Governor Aminu Masari hand over to Dikko Radda.
Contrary to the outcomes of the presidential elections in which the APC lost in President Muhammadu Buhari’s state, the party bounced back greatly in the governorship poll as it won in 33 of the 34 LGAs in the state
Radda polled 859, 892 to emerge as the winner of the election. The PDP candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado, polled 486,260.
Radda has promised to tackle security concerns that plagued Masari’s tenure and fight corruption with his policy of fairness and transparency.
Niger
Also, in Niger, the APC will stay in power with Umar Bago who will be sworn in today in Lafia.
He will be taking over from Sani Bello who ruled the state for eight years.
Bago defeated his PDP rival, Isah Kantigi, to emerge as the new governor and he has promised accountability and prudence in governance. He also said he would make use of the landmass of Niger as the biggest state in the country to the advantage of his people while tackling the problem of insecurity in the North-Central state.
Sokoto
The election in Sokoto was so fierce but Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress will be taking over from Aminu Tambuwal of the PDP today.
Aliyu defeated his closest challenger and the ruling party in the state Sa’idu Umar Ubandoma with a vote margin of 49,029.
Aliyu, a former Deputy Governor in the state has set a nine-point agenda for Sokoto. He promised to uplift the standards of education, healthcare delivery and water supply. Others are agriculture, security, youth empowerment, local government autonomy, religious affairs and economy.
Jigawa
Governor Muhammad Badaru will be a proud man today as he will be handing over to his trusted ally Alhaji Namadi Dammodi who will pilot the affairs of the state for the next four years.
Dammodi scored 618,449, beating his closest rival, Mustapha Sule of the PDP scored 368,726 votes to emerge the winner and new governor of Jigawa state.
he has pledged commitment to building a strong economy, creating jobs, expanding access to quality education, and enhancing healthcare services in the state.
Rivers
Governor Nyesom Wike is a strongman, a shrewd politician who will be happy to have successfully installed his ally Sim Fubura as the next governor of the state.
Fubura got 302,614 votes to defeat Beatrice Itubo of the LP who received 22,224 votes to finish third, placing her behind Tonye Cole of the APC who got 95,274 votes.
Fubura, the erstwhile Commissioner for Finance under Wike will be sworn in today for a term of four years.
Kano
There won’t be only a transition of government in Kano today but an exchange of power between two political parties as Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress will hand over to Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Yusuf roundly defeated the incumbent party’s nominee receiving more than a million votes.
Many controversies including the deposition of the erstwhile Emir of Kano Lamido Sanusi marked Ganduje’s government. There are strong indications Yusuf would reverse this development and reinstall Emir Sanusi whom he invited for his inauguration.
Kaduna
The ruling APC retained power in Kaduna as Uba Sani takes over from his benefactor Nasir el-Rufai today.
Sani scored 730,002 votes to defeat Isa Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 719,196 votes.
Sani is a Senator representing Kaduna Central and has assured the people of Kaduna State that for the next four years, he would govern the state with focus and unrelenting dedication.
Abia
It is certainly a new dawn in Abia State as Alex Otti of the Labour Party takes over.
It was a tough battle for Otti as the Labour Party battled to clinch their first Governorship seat after winning in 11 states during the presidential elections.
However, Otti polled a total of 175,466 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the PDP who scored 88,526. He was declared the winner after the result from the controversial Obingwa Local Government Area was announced by INEC.
The Southeast state has suffered from years of misrule but Otti has promised a restoration driven by general restructuring. He also pledged to hit the ground running by appointing the team that would help him in the next few days, adding that he would create a bigger and more robust economy in Abia.
Zamfara
The outgoing Governor in Zamfara State Bello Matawalle will still be gnashing his teeth after becoming the only sitting governor that lost his reelection bid.
Matawalle will be handing over to Daudu Lawal of the PDP today in a state that was ravaged by banditry and terrorism in the last four years.
Lawal, a banker-turned-politician, assured his people that he would work closely with te government at the centre to tackle the menace of insecurity in the state.
Enugu
The Peter Obi hurricane that swept through the Southeast did not consume the PDP in Enugu State as its candidate Peter Mbah will succeed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi today.
Although Ugwuanyi lost his bid to go to the Senate, he was able to mastermind the emergence of his candidate as the next governor of the state. The PDP candidate defeated his close rival Barr. Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party came second in the keenly contested election.
Ugwuanyi will be transmitting power to Mbah in a ceremony today and has promised to take development to an unimaginable level in the Coacl City state.
Cross River
Bassey Otu today succeed the incumbent governor and APC party man, Ben Ayade, whose eight-year two-term ends today.
Otu, a former federal lawmaker, scored 258,619 votes to defeat his closest contender and a serving senator, Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 179,636.
Otu will be thankful to his predecessor Ayade who did not only drag him into the governorship race but deployed resources to ensure APC win the poll.
The outgoing Governor has said he should be held responsible if Otu did not perform well as his successor.
Taraba
Gov. Darius Ishaku worked tirelessly for the victory of Kefas Agbu as the helmsman in Taraba State.
Agbu polled 257,926 votes to defeat the candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Prof. Sani Yahaya who got 202,278 and Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha of the APC who polled 141,592 votes.
The new Governor who retired from the Nigerian Army as Lt Colonel promised to run an all-inclusive government urging the opposition to join him to move the state forward.
Benue
Hyacinth Alia is a cleric with a revolution that swept through the state known as the Food Basket of the Nation. The APC candidate polled 473,933 votes to defeat his closest rival, Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 223,914 votes.
The Labour Party candidate, Hemma Hembe, polled 41,841 votes to come a distant third.
He will be taking over from Samuel Ortom of the PDP who ran under the APC during his first time.
Alia has described Benue as being in Intensive Care Unit as he will be inheriting a government yoked by a gigantic debt profile including several months of unpaid salaries and pensions.
Ebonyi
Francis Nwifuru secured 199,131 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Odii, who polled 80,191 votes in the last election. The third runner-up, the All Progressives Grand Alliance governorship candidate, Prof. Benard Odoh, scored 52,189 votes.
He will today take over from his benefactor Dave Umahi who spent eight years at the saddle.
Kebbi
Governor Abubakar Bagudu, the outgoing Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum of the APC delivered his state for the party after steering Nasir Idris to victory in the last poll.
Idris got 409,225 votes against his closest rival, General Aminu Bands, of the Peoples Democratic Party, who has 360,940 votes and will take from his godfather Bagudu today.
Plateau
Here is another state where the incumbent party was swept out of power. Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP will be taking over from Simon Lalong who ruled in the state for eight years on the platform of APC.
Mutfwang polled 525,299 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda of the APC who had 481,370 votes.,
A lawyer, Mutfwang, once served as the Chairman of Manga Local Government and has promised to unite Plateau State and kick-start the process of development and economic rebirth in the state.
Delta
Sheriff Oborevwori shrugged off the intense fight from his opponent mainly APC’s Ovie Omo-Agege to win the last election and the current Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly who will begin his four-year tenure as Governor today has the responsibility of not only uniting his state but bring about infrastructural development needed to take Delta forward.
His predecessor and benefactor Ifeanyi Okowa was accused of not doing enough to develop the state begging for growth but Oborevwori has promised to take governance to the nook and cranny of the state and political watchers are watching.
