Succession storms are brewing in no fewer than 10 states where governors are nearing the end of their second and final terms in office.

In May 2023, 28 governors were sworn into office, while eight other states held off-cycle inaugurations.

Of the 28, 18 began their first terms, while the remaining 10 commenced their final terms in office.

The 10 governors are those of Oyo, Gombe, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Borno, Nasarawa, Kwara, Yobe, and Adamawa states.

Seven of them are members of the All Progressives Congress, while the remaining three belong to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Findings by The Sunday PUNCH showed that no fewer than 22 politicians have so far declared their interest in Nasarawa, Lagos, and Ogun, while the names of some political heavyweights continue to dominate conversations within both the APC and PDP in those states.

Campaign posters have also started flooding some states, even as outgoing governors keep their succession plans secret.

Lagos and Tinubu?s loyalists

In Lagos, our correspondents gathered that the ball is firmly in the court of the ruling APC, with the final decision resting on President Bola Tinubu, a former governor of the state.

However, underground politicking is intensifying, as five political heavyweights are being linked to the 2027 governorship race, despite none of them making an official declaration yet.

According to a reliable party source, among those being considered are the current Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Others are Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo, also known as Tokunbo Abiru, who currently represents Lagos East in the Senate; the Chief of Staff to the President and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, and the President?s son, Seyi Tinubu.

The current Principal Secretary to the President and former Lagos State Head of Service, Muri Okunola, has also been touted as a possible candidate.

?But from my experience, Tinubu may not pick any of these loyalists. History has shown he often brings someone unexpected and gives that person full support. That is how he works. All these people making noise now are just distractions. Tinubu will not pick any of them. I am very sure of that,? the party source stated.

When contacted, the APC Publicity Secretary for the state, Seye Oladejo, said the party was busy with plans for the forthcoming local government election, adding that the 2027 governorship race agenda would come after the LG poll.

However, opposition parties said they had started making plans for the governorship election and were ready to challenge the APC dominance in the state.

The Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Mr Tai Benedict, said some politicians had already indicated interest in contesting the election on the platform of the party.

?One of them is Funso Doherty, and we have others. But not until later we cannot decide. We do not want to be in the same problem we had when Jandor (Abdul-Azeez Adediran) came and stole the show. This time around, we have to look inwards so that we do not pick the wrong candidate,? he added.

The Chairman of the Julius Abure-led Labour Party in the state, Mrs Dayo Ekong, said the party had started making plans for the governorship election.

?We have been doing our grassroots mobilisation and building our structures across all the polling units in the state, and we are sure of building on the gains of the last election,? the Secretary of the party, Sam Okpala, added.

20 aspirants declare interest in Nasarawa

Ahead of the governorship election, political heavyweights across Nasarawa State have started jostling for the state?s number one seat as the second tenure of the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Sule, will soon elapse.

Political observers say the 2027 elections, especially that of the governorship, will be an interesting battle among top politicians in the various parties in the state.

According to the state governor, no fewer than 20 persons from the APC, PDP, among others, have declared interest in contesting for his seat.

Consultations, alignments, and re-alignments across the 13 local government areas in the state have also intensified.

It was gathered that some of the notable contenders across party lines are a former Minister of the Environment, Muhammad-Hassan Abdullahi; a former governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, David Ombugadu; Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), and the Accountant General of the state, Dr Musa Mohammed.

Others are a former head of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Prof. Mohammed Haruna; former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaibu; a former Inspector of Police of Police, Muhammed Adamu; a top APC stakeholder in the state, Shehu Tukur; Abu Giza, and Mohammad Maikaya from Toto LGA of the state.

Posters of some of the aspirants have already appeared in strategic locations within the Lafia metropolis and other major towns in the state.

One of our correspondents observed that even though zoning is not recognised in the 1999 Constitution, the questions of which zone produces Sule?s successor and whether the zoning formula will count in the contest are generating debate among political actors in the state.

Wale Edun, Yayi warm up in Ogun

In Ogun State, some notable politicians have been identified as the likely successors to Governor Dapo Abiodun. Most of them are within the ruling APC.

Among them is the Senator representing Ogun West in the Senate, Olamilekan Adeola, aka Yayi.

Adeola, who at one time was a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, House of Representatives member representing Alimosho federal constituency, and a two-term Senator representing Lagos West senatorial district, returned to Ogun State in the build-up to the 2023 general elections to represent Ogun West senatorial district.

Since returning to Ogun state, Yayi has been seen as a frontrunner in the 2027 governorship seat contest. Adeola is said to be enjoying the backing of President Tinubu, having worked with him in Lagos State for a number of years.

Another politician said that the likely occupant of the Oke Mosan Governor?s Office come 2027 is Gboyega Isiaka, currently representing Imeko-Afon/Yewa North Federal constituency.

Isiaka had contested the governorship seat in Ogun State three times: 2011 under the Peoples Party of Nigeria, 2015 under PDP, and ADC in 2019.

He later defected to the APC and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2023.

One other name in the race is a former Minister of Steel and immediate past Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafadeen Ishola.

Similarly, the Coordinating Minister of Economy, Mr Wale Edun, is another politician said to be warming up for the 2027 governorship race.

Sources in the APC said he has an edge, having worked closely with President Tinubu in Lagos.

The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, is also said to be eyeing the coveted seat by 2027.

For the opposition parties, only the PDP has a pronounced governorship aspirant, Oladipupo Adebutu, a former House of Representatives member representing Remo federal constituency.

Adebutu was also the opposition party?s governorship candidate in 2023 before he lost to Abiodun.

Saraki spearheads PDP?s Kwara comeback.

The 2027 governorship race is gathering momentum in Kwara State following a resolve of the PDP to reclaim the state from the ruling APC.

Even though the APC is yet to make a public declaration on the 2027 governorship plans, there are indications that the state governor, Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, who is the party leader in the state, will try to retain the state.

With the state governor being out of the state for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who leads the PDP in the state, has taken advantage of the Sallah celebration to restructure the opposition party over the past few days.

Saraki, who supervised the pre-registration of members of PDP, said he received new members into the party in Ajikobi ward in Ilorin West LGA of Kwara State.

Speaking in an interview with journalists recently, Saraki said he was encouraged by the turnout of members for the re-registration into the party, adding that he also received new members into the party.

On the ability of the party to stage a comeback in 2027, Saraki said, ?We are even more encouraged by the level of enthusiasm that we are getting. People are coming out to register for the party; people are tired of the state of affairs in the state. New members are coming out to join the party.

?At the same time, all our old members are very active. The members we have seen are very impressive. I think the factors of what people are going through in the state the insecurity, unemployment, hunger, and lack of a lack of governance. So, we are confident that the PDP will bounce back in 2027,? he added.

As of Thursday, only one politician, Ladi Hassan, has declared intention to contest the governorship of the state on the platform of the PDP.

Other aspirants in the party include a former member of the House of Representatives and ex-speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Prof Ali Ahmad.

Saraki, however, said he would give all aspirants a level playing ground, adding that he had no preferred candidate.

In the APC, none of the aspirants has made a public declaration, though there has been an off-the-scene campaign by some of them. But the governor is seen to be favouring the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi, who is from the Kwara North Senatorial zone.

Other aspirants, who have also been working underground, include the Senator presently representing Kwara North, Sadiq Umar; Director General of the Nigeria Institute for Legislative Studies, Prof Abubakar Suleiman; Campaign DG of Mallam AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq re-election in 2023, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki; and the senator representing Kwara Central and the Turaki of Ilorin, Senator Saliu Mustapha.

However, the state APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said the party had yet to start its campaign.

Five contenders in Gombe

It was learnt that though Governor Muhammed Yahaya of Gombe State has not publicly spoken about his preferred successor, his party, the APC, will not take the lead in determining the next governor of the state.

According to sources in the party, the Commissioner for Finance, Gambo Magaji; the current Minister of Transportation and former senator, Saidu Alkali; and former Minister of Digital Economy, Prof Ali Pantami, are among the strong contenders for the race in the state.

For the PDP, it is believed that Jibrin Barde, who was the party?s 2023 candidate, is likely to recontest.

He came in a distant second during the last election.

A former gubernatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in 2023, Ahmed Mailantarki, who recently defected to the PDP, is another politician being mentioned.

Borno awaits Zulum?s choice.

In Borno State, while it is still unclear who will be Governor Babagana Zulum?s candidate, there are indications that the next governor will be from one of the Senators representing the state in the National Assembly.

A source within the APC expressed confidence that anyone chosen by the governor would get the people?s support.

?Of course, anyone Zulum appoints will emerge. Everyone can not like you, but I can categorically tell you that Zulum is popular and his people are behind him. For any opposition to unseat the party in this state, it is difficult,? the source said.

As of the time of filling this report, no opposition aspirant has spoken about their ambition, but speculations of a coalition is brewing in the state.

Oyo PDP in disarray

Some prominent chieftains of the PDP in Oyo State are set to dump the party.

A party source told our correspondent in Ibadan, the state capital, that the aggrieved members were already in advanced consultations for a coalition with the African Democratic Congress.

The source, who did not want his name in print, said, ?The aggrieved chieftains, alongside their followers, are already in advanced consultations with opposition parties and may announce their formal departure in the next couple of weeks.

?The majority of these party chieftains are well-grounded in their wards and local governments within the state. They are grassroots politicians.?

Another source said the planned defection was being fuelled by ?mounting dissatisfaction over the party?s internal handling of power distribution, appointments, and continued marginalisation of loyal stakeholders who played key roles in securing victory for the party in the past elections.?

?The aggrieved politicians have endured systematic exclusion and political betrayal under the current party structure in the state. Many of these leaders have been sidelined, used, and dumped. There is no political reward system for loyalty anymore in the state PDP.

?How do you expect men who sacrificed everything for the party to continue to remain silent when they and their followers are consistently ignored?

?These leaders are not just leaving alone, they are leaving with their structures. That?s thousands of committed party loyalists across the state. The PDP leadership should be worried,? the source added. (Sunday PUNCH)

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