By Abiodun Alade (Lagos), Linus Effiong (Umuahia), Peter Moses (Abeokuta), Iniabasi Umo (Uyo), Eyo Charles (Calabar), Hope Abah Emmanuel (Makurdi), Mumini AbdulKareem (Ilorin), Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba (Kaduna), Dickson S. Adama (Jos) & Hassan Ibrahim (Bauchi)
Most governorship candidates are yet to officially flag off their campaigns despite the commencement of public campaigns for the governorship and state houses of assembly.
According to the timetable for the 2023 general elections of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ban on public campaigns for governorship and house of assembly elections was lifted on Wednesday.
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A total of 837 candidates are vying for 28 state governorship seats.
Our correspondent in Kwara State reports that campaign activities began in the state with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leading it with the ‘Kwara Talk Show’, which was attended by the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaib Yaman, and former Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki.
Also, the YPP candidate officially flagged off his campaign with a ceremony at its campaign office.
Four of the gubernatorial aspirants of the PDP, YPP, SDP and NNPP had engaged in a debate earlier, but with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the APC absent.
In Abia State, political parties are yet to commence campaigns. However, they have all inaugurated their campaign councils.
No political party has officially flagged off the governorship campaign in Ogun State, Daily Trust’s findings revealed.
Our correspondent gathered that the governorship candidate of the APC and incumbent, Dapo Abiodun, has not set up the campaign committee, indicating that the ruling party may not start campaigning soon.
The leading opposition party, PDP, on its part, does not have a candidate following the recent court ruling which invalidated the primary that produced Hon Ladi Adebutu as its candidate.
Other candidates from the SDP, ADC, NNPP, Accord Party, and other parties have also been silent on the governorship campaigns.
Daily Trust reports that the campaign is expected to be intense in Cross River State, where the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, who was elected on the platform of PDP, defected to APC in 2021.
A former senator who represented the Cross River Southern Senatorial District, Prince Bassey Edet Out, is APC’s governorship flagbearer, while the lawmaker representing the Central Senatorial District, Prof Sandy Ojang Onor, is the candidate of the PDP.
The state chairman of Labour Party, Ambassador Ogar Osim, is the candidate of the party. Osim was originally a placeholder as the party was expecting one of the aggrieved aspirants in the APC or PDP to pick the ticket of the party.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos State, Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor), has released a 5-month calendar of activities covering the electioneering campaign period – October 12 to February 10.
The campaign calendar revealed that Jandor will tour the entire 245 wards across all the 20 LGAs of the state and also hold special sessions with strategic groups, opinion leaders, traditional, religious, and other critical stakeholders.
However, the state governor and candidate of the APC, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is yet to inaugurate his campaign council.
It was learnt that he would kick-start his campaign after the former governor of the state and presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, inaugurated his council.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the party in the state, Seye Oladejo, said APC is the party to beat as it remains the choice of the electorate.
However, no political party has kick-started campaign in Benue, Bauchi, Kaduna and Plateau states as of Wednesday evening.
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