By Emmanuel Okogba

Come Saturday, November 11 2023, electorates in three states, Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi, will vote in what is now known as “off-season governorship elections.”

This round of elections will make it the second time governorship elections are held in the country this year after the March polls that produced new governors in 19 states of the federation.

Why Off-Season?

Off-season elections are elections held outside the time-table of general elections and this could happen for varying reasons.

Since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy, general elections have been held every four years, but a number of reasons have distorted this arrangement leading to some states having governorship polls outside this arrangement. In the case of Nigeria, court rulings have primarily been responsible for this distortion.

Off-season elections began in Nigeria in 2006 when Peter Obi, then of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was sworn in as governor after contesting the result of the 2003 general polls that favoured Chris Ngige, then of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra state.

In Imo, for example, after the 2019 polls produced former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha as governor, a Supreme Court ruling on Jan 14, 2020 ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him and issue a fresh one to Hope Uzodimma who it declared as the winner.

The implication of the ruling is that Uzodimma’s tenure started counting from 2020, and he will only end his first four-year tenure when another swearing-in happens in 2024.

Section 180 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution specifies that a governor vacates the office four years from the date they first take the oath of office. 

Kogi’s governorship election became off-season following a court ruling that nullified Governor Ibrahim Idris’ victory in 2007 and ordered for a by-election to be held in 2008.

For Bayelsa, governorship elections became off-season when an appeal court ruling sacked Timipre Sylva from office in 2008, after his victory in 2007, and ordered a by-election.

Other states where off-season governorship elections are held include: Edo, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti.

Vanguard