2023 Kogi State gubernatorial election

The 2023 Kogi State gubernatorial election was held on 11 November 2023 to elect the Governor of Kogi State. Incumbent APC Governor Yahaya Bello was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. The primaries were scheduled for between 27 March and 17 April 2022.

APC candidate and Auditor-General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, defeated SDP candidate Murtala Ajaka by 187,185 votes.

Electoral system
The Governor of Kogi State is elected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive the plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of local government areas. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas.

Background
Kogi State is a diverse state in the North Central with a large number of mineral resources but facing an underdeveloped agricultural sector, deforestation, and low vaccination rates.

Politically, the state's early 2019 elections were described by a swing towards the APC as the party was mainly successful, unseating almost all PDP senators and house members to sweep most House of Representatives and two senate seats as the state was won by APC presidential nominee Muhammadu Buhari with over 54%. The House of Assembly election also was a win for the APC as the party won every seat in the assembly. The November election ended similarly with Bello winning election to a second term and the APC gained a senate seat in a rerun election; however, both elections were riddled with irregularities and electoral violence.

In Bello's second inaugural address in 2020, he declared that his second term would highlight agricultural development, increasing employment, and improving the state's revenue. Performance-wise, Bello was commended for gender inclusion in his cabinet but his term was immensely controversial as he was criticized for inciting electoral violence, autocratic actions, lies about COVID-19 and vaccines,   and further corruption allegations.

Primary elections
The primaries, along with any potential challenges to primary results, will take place between 27 March and 17 April 2022. While no formal zoning agreement is in place, groups from Kogi West Senatorial District (specifically some groups representing the Okun people) have called for the governorship to be zoned to their district with the justification of no elected governor having come from Kogi West beforehand. On the other hand, groups from Kogi Central Senatorial District (specifically some groups representing the Ebira people) are pushing for the office to be retained by their district by claiming that Kogi East Senatorial District held the office for over four terms and thus Kogi Central should as well.

All Progressives Congress
Ahead of the APC primary, major questions were asked about which candidate would receive the endorsement of Bello to be his successor. However, after the May 2022 primary for federal positions resulted in several losses for Bello loyalists, new questions emerged over Bello's waning control of the state party.

Purchased forms

 * Smart Adeyemi: Senator for Kogi West (2007–2015; 2019–present)
 * Abdulkareem Mohammad Jamiu: Chief of Staff to Governor Bello (2019–present)
 * Abiodun Faleke: former House of Representatives member for Ikeja (Lagos State) (2011–present) and 2015 APC deputy gubernatorial nominee
 * Jibril Momoh: state Accountant General
 * Ahmed Usman Ododo: state Auditor-General for Local Government
 * Sanusi Ohiare: former Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Agency
 * Yakubu Oseni: Senator for Kogi Central (2019–present)
 * Salami Ozigi-Deedat: Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs
 * Murtala Ajaka wasn't allowed to contest based on a court order that was falsely produced on the morning of the election. He then decamped to SDP, where he is now the flagbearer and has a huge followership;

Declared

 * Dayo Akanmode

Potential

 * Toba Adebayo: former Bello administration official
 * Jibrin Isah: Senator for Kogi East (2019–present) and 2011 and 2015 PDP gubernatorial candidate
 * Mukadam Asiru Idris: Commissioner of Finance
 * Babatunde Irukera: 2015 and 2019 APC gubernatorial candidate and CEO of the FCCPC
 * Khalifa Abdulrahman Okene: 2019 APC Kogi Central senatorial candidate
 * Edward David Onoja: Deputy Governor (2019–present)

Emerged Winner
Ahmed Usman Ododo won the election and emerged flagbearer of the party for the election.

Purchased forms

 * Yomi Awoniyi: former Deputy Governor and son of former Senator Sunday Awoniyi

Potential

 * Murtala Ajaka: 2023 SDP gubernatorial Flagbearer His Running mate Sam Abenemi, have both resolved to unite kogites with the slogan ONE KOGI FOR MURISAM. website - www.murisam2023.com, their twitter account @murisam2023, facebook murisam sdp.
 * Natasha2019 SDP Kogi Central senatorial nominee
 * Abubakar Idris: son of former Governor Ibrahim Idris
 * Dino Melaye: 2019 PDP gubernatorial candidate and former Senator for Kogi West (2015–2019)
 * Musa Wada: 2019 APC gubernatorial nominee and brother of former Governor Idris Wada

Emerged Winner
Dino Melaye won the election and emerged flagbearer of the party.

By senatorial district
The results of the election by senatorial district.

By federal constituency
The results of the election by federal constituency.

By local government area
The results of the election by local government area.