Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Nigeria operates a Federalism system of government with 36 states as sub federating units .Each state has a Governor as the chief executive officer.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). conducted the election of 28 state Governors on 18th of March as part of the 2023 general election while the remaining eight state governors’ tenure differs from one state to another .
Out of the 28 Governors elected during the 2023 poll nine were elected for the second time while 19 were elected for the first time.
The All Progressives Congress, APC won in 15 states, PDP in nine, LP in one. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) won in Kano state.
APC had seven Governors re-elected. They are: Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Muni (Yobe), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Babagana Zulum (Borno).
The ruling party also secured wins for eight new candidates: Uba Sani (Kaduna), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Mohammed Bago (Niger), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi).
Two PDP Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) secured re-election.
Eight first-term governors were elected on the platform of the PDP. They are: Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Siminialayi Fubara (Rivers) and Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Ahmad Fintiri.(Adamawa State).
PDP’s Dauda Lawal unseated Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle while Abba Kabir of the NNPP unseated the APC in Kano State.
Nigerian governors Forum conducts induction for new and outgoing governors
Nigerian Governors Forum is the umbrella of 36 Nigerian Governors across the political divide.
The forum organized a meeting that brought the outgoing , reelected and new governors together with the aim of building their capacities on strategic issues.
While delivering a speech at the occasion President Muhammadu Buhari reminisced about the last eight years of his administration, saying the journey has been rough, but his administration has laid the foundation for a prosperous Nigeria.
Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari stated that the outcome of the 2023 general election was an indication that the electorate were fast maturing and democracy had come to stay. He warned elected officials that they only had the option of delivering on their promises or they would be shown the way out.
“We have made steady progress since we took office in 2015. The road has been bumpy due to a challenging fiscal climate, but I am proud to state, as we leave office in about two weeks, that we have built a firm foundation for a prosperous Nigeria.
“We could not have done everything, but we focused on a number of areas: infrastructure, agriculture and strengthening our Armed Forces,” Buhari said.
The president stated that in March 2023, Nigeria consolidated and reinforced its democratic process with a general election that saw the election of a new president and about 18 new governors.
“I am happy to note that democracy is alive, vibrant and thriving in Nigeria. With the elections now over, it is time for us to deliver the promises we made during the campaigns. I have always maintained that democracy is not an end state nor is it a static event. It is an evolutionary process that takes its participants on a journey of self-realization.
“The process forces us to hold a mirror to ourselves, and by doing so, we are made to constantly review and improve its critical elements to ensure that we have an inclusive democratic practice that gives faith to voters.
“We must, therefore, be patient, tolerant and use the appropriate channels to seek redress if we believe there have been unfair practices along the way. As you can tell, I am speaking as a veteran of the process, with the scars to show for it.
“On May 29, you will be called upon to steer the affairs of your states for the next four years. From this day, you become wholly responsible for the state as an enterprise. You, as the governor or state chief executive, inherit all its assets and liabilities.
“The assumption of office is a constitutional process that we must take with utmost dedication, in the light of the trust bestowed on you by those who elected you into office.” The President stated.
The president said one interesting development that Nigerians witnessed in the last election was the maturity of the electorate. He stressed that the citizens were increasingly finding their voices.
Purpose of the seminar
Sokoto state Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is the chairman Nigerian Governors Forum .In his opening address at the meeting said the induction seminar was organized to support the new governors in developing the essential skills for democratic governance.
“To kickstart this post-election democratic process, we have invited governance experts, bureaucrats, and entrepreneurs, within and outside the shores of this country, to share their expertise on democratic governance in a diverse political economy with unique peculiarities in the modern governance framework.
“I am pleased to acknowledge in our midst the presence of democratic leaders from Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States of America, who have obliged to share their vast experience with us.” He stated.
Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is the Director General of the World Trade Organization.In her keynote address, Okonjo-Iweala, told the incoming governors that no nation could develop without earning the trust of the people and there could be no foreign development without good governance.
“Even before independence, the generation of leaders that led us to freedom identified how important trust would be to our nation’s success.
“Every nation is a work-in-progress. The task of nation-building is a continuous one. So even if we have made mistakes, there is always a chance to change course. The fatal mistake in nation-building is refusing to learn lessons, and failing to course-correct where needed.
“In our country, given its size, diversity, and economic development challenges, the scale of the task of nation-building is particularly large.
“As you take office or return to your governorships, our 222 million compatriots will be counting on you to rise to the occasion. The states are closest to the people: what you do or don’t do, directly impacts people across the country.
“Nigerians are not building our nation in a vacuum. When shaping policies and strategies, we need to do so in the context of what is happening in the world. We need to wake up and smell the coffee. The world is changing fast, in good ways and bad. The bad ways are more obvious these days.
“Dear Governors, I remain convinced that a better future is within our collective grasp. But to move ahead and seize it, we will need political and business leaders at the state and national levels to form a compact in pursuit of pro-growth and pro-development policies.
“We ought to be seeking to double our growth rate and sustain that higher growth until we attain upper middle-income status. We can also aim to double Nigeria’s share of world trade from 0.33% to 0.66% within a decade. To build such a compact, we need trust.” She said,
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