Nigeria’s 2027 elections: Kano goes APC as ruling party secures 29th governor  

Researched by Alfa Shaban

Nigerians will go to the polls in 2027 for general elections that would see voters across Africa’s most populous nation voting for a president and the National Assembly or federal lawmakers – Members of the House of Representatives and The Senate. 

Within two weeks of the general election, another round of elections will also be held for governors and state legislators across 28 of the 36 states in the federation. This is because Nigeria has an election cycle that has eight states voting outside of the known election season. 

Known as the off-cycle states, their elections (governorship and State House of Assembly) are not in tandem with the general election season cycle (marked by a quadrennial presidential election). Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999 and has held general elections every four years since. But, for differing reasons, courts have overturned or changed some election results, which has affected the elected official’s specified tenure, hence the off-cycle phenomenon. 

As the 2027 election season takes shape, political actors have raised concerns relative to the increasing number of gubernatorial defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). See here, here, here. 

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Some people aver that incumbent Bola Ahmed Tinubu is increasingly wooing governors elected on opposition tickets, especially the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC. 

Tinubu came into office in 2023 at a time the PDP had a third of governors in the country (12 sitting governors), As at January 2026, PDP had only four sitting governors, while the APC had eight more governors, taking their tally of 21 governors in 2023 to 29.

Kano switches from NNPP to APC

The most recent switch by a sitting governor to the APC took place weeks back in the north central Kano State, home to the ancient historical city of Kano that has for centuries been a center of religion, tradition and commerce.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, despite having been elected on the ticket of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) confirmed weeks of speculation that he was going to abandon the party that brought him to power in 2023 to join the APC vehicle.

Since 2023 till date, Abba is the 8th opposition governor to quit their original parties to pitch tent with the ruling party. The APC stressed the importance of having Kano State under the APC umbrella going into the 2027 polls.

“This shift is seen as a major political realignment in Kano, with the ruling party now gaining the governorship from the NNPP in one of Nigeria’s most politically significant states. It could influence political dynamics leading up to the 2027 elections, especially within the state.”

What does the statistics say

These are the eight new governors APC has secured since 2023

Conclusion

Even as the parties and candidates at all levels get ready to launch into the election campaign season proper, two major events are, however, casting a long shadow over the elections – a brewing electoral law controversy which has to do with electronic transmission of results come 2027 and a call for the new elections chief, Joash Ojo Amupitan to be removed as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because of alleged bias.

He was sworn in by President Bola Tinubu in October 2025 and is expected to lead the processes leading to the 2027 vote.