11 Governors Affirmed For Second Term, Chinda Takes Rivers, Gwamna Wins Gombe As APC Concludes Governorship Primaries Nationwide

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday conducted governorship primaries across 28 states of the federation, producing candidates for the February 6, 2027, governorship elections through a mix of consensus affirmations, direct primaries, and unopposed declarations — while also rescheduling the exercise in Bauchi and Kwara states to Friday, May 22, and postponing two House of Assembly primaries in Zamfara to May 24.

The results confirmed Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as the Lagos APC governorship candidate with a commanding 657,917 votes, Wike ally Kingsley Ogundu Chinda as the Rivers State flagbearer following Governor Fubara’s dramatic withdrawal, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi) as the Ogun candidate unopposed, and Dr Jamilu Ishiaku Gwamna as the Gombe winner after defeating two other aspirants who had earlier withdrawn but whose names remained on the ballot.

Multiple first-term governors were affirmed for second-term tickets through consensus across the country, while protests erupted in Osun over alleged manipulation of a House of Assembly primary result.

Lagos: Hamzat Wins with 657,917 Votes

The APC in Lagos State declared Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election following a primary held at the party secretariat in Acme, Ogba.

The Chairman of the APC National Governorship Election Committee, Gen. Jon Temlong (retd.), announced the result in the presence of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, former Deputy Governor Femi Pedro, local government chairmen, members of the Lagos State Executive Council, and lawmakers.

Hamzat secured 657,917 votes out of 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, polled just one vote. Another aspirant, Samuel Ajose, had withdrawn before the exercise.

In his acceptance speech, Hamzat expressed gratitude to Governor Sanwo-Olu, the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), and President Bola Tinubu. “With humility, I accept the candidacy of the APC in the upcoming 2027 elections,” Hamzat stated.

Rivers: Wike Ally Chinda Emerges After Fubara Withdraws

In Rivers State, Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, an ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, was declared the APC governorship candidate, emerging as the sole aspirant after Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other aspirants withdrew from the primaries on the eve of the election.

Bitrus Kwamoti, Chairman of the APC governorship primary election committee, declared Chinda the flagbearer at the APC Secretariat in Port Harcourt after receiving results from collation officers across the 23 local government areas. Chinda polled a total of 268,497 votes.

Fubara had issued a statement on Wednesday saying he was stepping aside “not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity.” His withdrawal effectively cleared the field for the Wike-backed candidate, completing Wike’s consolidation of control over the APC machinery in Rivers State.

Ogun: Senator Yayi Unopposed

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, emerged unopposed as the APC governorship flagbearer in Ogun State following a peaceful primary marked by massive turnout across the state’s 236 wards.

His emergence followed the withdrawal of the only other aspirant, Hon. Abayomi Hundeyi, and more than 10 other aspirants who had stepped down in his favour. Adeola had earlier been endorsed as the consensus candidate during a stakeholders’ meeting.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, speaking after participating in the exercise, said over 700 aspirants had initially shown interest in various elective positions under the APC ahead of 2027. “No one was compelled to step down. There is no winner and no vanquished,” Abiodun stated.

Gombe: Gwamna Wins Despite Withdrawals

In Gombe State, Dr Jamilu Ishiaku Gwamna was declared the APC governorship candidate after polling 247,161 votes out of 556,081 accredited voters who participated across the 11 local government areas.

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, scored 12,120 votes as first runner-up, while former Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, polled 11,612 votes as second runner-up — despite both having submitted written withdrawal notices. The committee chairman, Senator Sani Abubakar Danladi, explained that the withdrawal letters were submitted after the commencement of the electoral process and their names had already appeared on the ballot papers.

Gwamna, who had been picked as the consensus candidate amid resistance from other aspirants, previously contested the PDP governorship primaries in 2018 and 2022 as runner-up, and was the ANPP gubernatorial candidate in the 2007 election.

Abia: Former Minister Ikoh Adopted as Consensus

In Abia State, the majority of the State Working Committee adopted former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chief Henry Ikoh, as the party’s consensus governorship candidate. The endorsement was formalised in a resolution signed by 13 out of 18 SWC members.

The adoption came after the other remaining aspirant, Mascot Uzor Kalu, withdrew earlier on the day. State Organising Secretary Emeka Okorafor said the SWC was “not pleased with the sudden appearance of a strange aspirant whom they were not sure was a genuine member of the party” and could not afford to gamble with the party’s ticket.

Governors Affirmed for Second Term

Multiple first-term governors secured consensus affirmation for second-term tickets across the country:

Governor Abba Yusuf was adopted unopposed in Kano State at Sani Abacha Stadium, with Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin moving the motion for adoption.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda was affirmed by 160 delegates in Katsina State through a voice vote, with former Governor Aminu Masari chairing the reconciliation committee.

Governor Nasir Idris received unanimous endorsement from delegates across Kebbi State’s 225 wards.

Governor Uba Sani polled 459,393 affirmation votes in Kaduna State in what the committee described as a peaceful and transparent exercise.

Governor Umar Namadi was affirmed as the consensus candidate in Jigawa State through a voice vote in Dutse.

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago emerged unopposed in Niger State at the party secretariat in Minna.

Governor Dauda Lawal was affirmed through a voice vote in Zamfara State, with members in his Madawaki Ward in Gusau affirming him during the exercise.

Bauchi and Kwara Postponed

The APC rescheduled governorship primaries in Bauchi and Kwara states to Friday, May 22, 2026. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the postponement was approved by the NWC following consultations with relevant stakeholders.

Two House of Assembly primaries for Maradun I and Maradun II constituencies in Zamfara State were also postponed to Sunday, May 24, 2026.

Osun: Protests Over Alleged Result Manipulation

In Osun State, APC members from Obokun Local Government Area staged a peaceful protest at the party’s state secretariat in Osogbo, alleging a plot to manipulate the result of the primary election for the Obokun State Constituency.

The protesters accused the lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Mr Wole Oke, of attempting to replace the primary election winner, Mr Gbenga Falope, with the first runner-up.

Spokesman Oyewole Oyebanji said Falope won decisively with 2,594 votes against the nearest contestant’s 2,020. “After the conclusion of the primary process and movement to Osogbo for the issuance of nomination forms, the process suddenly became questionable and suspicious,” Oyebanji alleged.

However, Oke’s media aide, Tunde Omolebi-Sunday, described the allegations as “misleading and entirely mischievous,” stating that Oke, as Director-General of the Osun APC Gubernatorial Campaign Council, had “no role whatsoever in the conduct, supervision, or determination of State House of Assembly primary election outcomes.”

Full Summary of Key Governorship Primary Results

The Bigger Picture

The governorship primaries represent the final major candidate selection exercise before the APC’s lineup for the 2027 elections is complete. The emergence of Hamzat in Lagos, Chinda in Rivers, and the affirmation of multiple governors for second terms confirm that the ruling party’s governorship candidates will include a mix of serving deputy governors stepping up, allies of powerful political figures, incumbent governors seeking re-election, and new entrants to gubernatorial politics.

Fubara’s withdrawal in Rivers and the subsequent emergence of Wike ally Chinda as the APC flagbearer represents perhaps the most dramatic political realignment of the primary season, effectively ending Fubara’s bid to succeed himself and ceding control of the party’s gubernatorial apparatus in the oil-rich state to Wike’s political camp.

The postponements in Bauchi and Kwara suggest ongoing difficulties in resolving internal party disputes in those states, while the protests in Osun indicate that the results management process remains vulnerable to allegations of manipulation even after votes have been cast and counted.

Results from additional states are expected to continue emerging as the party completes the collation and announcement process across the remaining states where primaries were held on Thursday.

The post 11 Governors Affirmed For Second Term, Chinda Takes Rivers, Gwamna Wins Gombe As APC Concludes Governorship Primaries Nationwide appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.