The 2023 Enugu State gubernatorial election took place on 18th March 2023, to elect the Governor of Enugu State, with Peter Mbah declared winner alongside his running mate Barrister Ifeanyi Ossai of the Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria), after they got the plurality of votes and won over 25% of the votes in two-third of the state.[1] Mr Mbah polled 160,895 votes to defeat his closest competitor, the Labour Party (Nigeria) candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, who scored 157,552 votes. The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Frank Nweke Jr, garnered 17,983 votes to come a distant third, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Uche Nnaji, came fourth position, with 14,575 votes.[2] The election was contested in the Tribunal by Chijoike Edeoga[3] but the tribunal eventually upheld the victory of Peter Mbah.[4]
Party primaries were scheduled for between 4 April and 9 June 2022 with the Peoples Democratic Party nominating former commissioner Peter Mbah on 25th May while the All Progressives Congress nominated businessman Uche Nnaji unopposed on 26th May and the All Progressives Grand Alliance nominated former minister Frank Nweke on 29 May.[6][7][8] On 4th August, Chijioke Edeoga—the runner-up in the PDP primary—won the primary election of the Labour Party.[9] The LP primary election was annulled by a Federal High Court ruling on 9th November but a Court of Appeal judgment on 6th January 2023, overturned the High Court ruling, reinstating Edeoga as the legitimate LP nominee.[10][11]
Electoral system
The Governor of Enugu 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 state 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
Enugu State is a small, Igbo-majority southeasternstate with a growing economy and natural resources but facing an underdeveloped agricultural sector, rising debt, and a low COVID-19 vaccination rate.
Politically, the state's 2019 elections were categorized as a continuation of the PDP's control as Ugwuanyi won with over 95% of the vote and the party won every seat in the House of Assembly along with all three senate seats and all eight House of Representatives seats. On the presidential level, the state was easily won by PDP presidential nominee Atiku Abubakar but it did swung towards Buhari compared to 2015 and had lower turnout.
During its second term, the Ugwuanyi administration's stated focuses included battling insecurity, completing infrastructure projects, and improving rural roads. In terms of his performance, Ugwuanyi was commended for taking some action to combat insecurity, expanding the rural road network, and properly deescalating November 2020 religious clashes in Nsukka while being criticized for failing to stop kidnappings and poor water management.[12][13][14][15]
Primary elections
The primaries, along with any potential challenges to primary results, were to take place between 4 April and 3 June 2022 but the deadline was extended to 9 June.[16][17] An informal zoning gentlemen's agreement sets the Enugu East Senatorial District to have the next governor as Enugu East has not held the governorship since 2007.[18][19] While the APC zoned their nomination to the East, the PDP and APGA did not make a formal zoning decision; all three parties ultimately nominated an easterner.
All Progressives Congress
In June 2021, Enugu APC Chairman Ben Nwoye announced that the party had zoned their nomination to Enugu East Senatorial District.
On 20 April 2022, the APC National Executive Committee announced the party's schedule for gubernatorial primaries, setting its expression of interest form price at ₦10 million and nomination form price at ₦40 million with a 50% nomination form discount for candidates younger than 40 while women and candidates with disabilities get free nomination forms. Forms were to be sold from 26 April to 6 May until the deadline was later extended to 10 May then 12 May.[20] After the submission of nomination forms by 13 May, candidates were screened by a party committee on 14 and 15 May while 16 May was the date for the screening appeal process.[21] Ward congresses and LGA congresses were set for between 7 and 9 May to elect delegates for the primary. Candidates approved by the screening process advanced to a primary set for 26 May, in concurrence with other APC gubernatorial primaries; challenges to the result could be made the next day.[22][23][24][25]
On the primary date, businessman Uche Nnaji was the sole candidate and won the nomination unopposed. In his acceptance speech, Nnaji vowed to bring prosperity to Enugu State as governor.[7] However, a few days after the primary, there were reports that the APC was in discussions with longtime Senator and losing PDP gubernatorial candidate Ike Ekweremadu over substituting him in as the party nominee;[26] the talks failed though and Nnaji remained nominee.[27] In mid-August, Nnaji announced George Ogara as his running mate at the party’s Zonal Secretariat.[28]
On 25 March 2022, the national APGA announced its primary schedule, setting its expression of interest form price at ₦3 million and the nomination form price at ₦12 million with a 50% discount for women candidates and candidates with disabilities.[31] Forms are to be sold from 29 March to 11 April; after the purchase of forms, gubernatorial candidates are to be screened by a party committee on 22 and 23 April while the screening appeal process is slated for 5 May. Ward congresses are set for 10 May to elect delegates for the primary. Candidates approved by the screening process advanced to a primary set for 29 May, in concurrence with all other APGA gubernatorial primaries; challenges to the result could be made on 31 May.[32][33]
Pre-primary analysis gave the edge to former Minister of Information Frank Nweke due to Nweke's political experience and the low name recognition of his opponents.[34] On the primary date, five candidates contested an indirect primary that ended with Nweke emerging as the APGA nominee after results showed Nweke winning just under 50% of the delegates' votes, defeating businessman Jeff Nnamani by just 6 votes.[8] In mid-July, Nweke picked Edith Ugwuanyi—a businesswoman from Ibagwa-Aka in Igbo Eze South—as his running mate at a press briefing in Enugu.[35][36][37]
Nominated
Frank Nweke: former Minister of Information and Communications (2005–2007), former Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (2003–2005), and former Chief of Staff to the Governor (2001–2003)[38][39][8]
A 2013 Enugu PDP internal party resolution that resurfaced in August 2021 enshrined zoning for the 2015 election and thus adding to the claims of the pro-zoning to Enugu East camp.[43] Zoning became under threat due to the gubernatorial candidacy of longtime Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is from Enugu West, as he and his allies denied that zoning was ever a factor in the state or claimed that it was no longer necessary; the controversy that surrounded Ekweremadu's campaign and disregard for zoning led to vast internal divisions within the party.[44][45][46] Another cause of controversy was the alleged support that Ugwuanyi was giving to former commissioner Peter Mbah's candidacy despite Mbah's ongoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.[47]
On 16 March 2022, the national PDP announced its gubernatorial primaries' schedule, setting its expression of interest form price at ₦1 million and the nomination form price at ₦20 million with a 50% discount for candidates between 25 and 30. Forms were to be sold until 1 April but the party later extended the deadline four times before reaching a final deadline of 22 April. After the submission of nomination forms by 25 April, candidates were screened by a party committee on 28 April while 2 May was the rescheduled date for the screening appeal process. Ward congresses were set for 29 April and LGA congresses were rescheduled for 10 May to elect delegates for the primary.[48] Candidates approved by the screening process advanced to a primary set for 25 May, in concurrence with all other PDP gubernatorial primaries; challenges to the result could be made in the following days.[49][50]
Ahead of the primary, analysts named four candidates as the most likely to win: former commissioner Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga, Ekweremadu, Mbah, and former minister Bartholomew Nnaji.[34] The day before the primary, former Anambra State Governor Jim Nwobodo formally announced that Mbah was the preferred candidate of Ugwuanyi and other major Enugu State PDP figures.[51] Prior to the primary on the next day, three candidates (including Ekweremadu) withdrew in protest of the perceived imposition by Ugwuanyi while eight more candidates dropped out at the primary venue, but instead they endorsed Mbah.[52][53] When collation completed, Mbah won the nomination after announced results showed him winning over 97% of the delegates' votes.[6][54] In mid-June, Ifeanyi Ossai—a barrister from Nsukka—was announced as his running mate at a joint press conference with Mbah in Enugu.[55]
Nominated
Peter Mbah: former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development and former Chief of Staff to the Governor[30][56][57][6]
Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga: former Commissioner for Environment (2019–2022), former Commissioner for Local Government Matters (2015–2019), former House of Representatives member for Enugu East/Isi-Uzo (1999–2003), and former Isi Uzo Local Government Chairman (defected after the primary to successfully run in the LP gubernatorial primary)[58][56][57][6]
Hilary Edeoga: former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources (2007–2009) and professor[56][57][6]
Bartholomew Nnaji: former Minister of Power (2011–2012) and former Minister of Science and Technology (1992–1993)[59][56][57][6]
Like in most states, the months of June and July 2022 were dedicated to attempts at party reconciliation in the wake of the primaries. While the APC leadership crisis had never ended and APGA was never extremely divided, the PDP faced several internal divides based on personal and regional strife; both primary runner-up Chijioke Jonathan Edeoga and longtime Senator Ike Ekweremadu were rumored to be leaving the party after the primary as Ekweremadu first went to the APC before a new plan for an Ekweremadu-Edeoga ticket in the Labour Party was concocted since the minor party had grown due to Peter Obi's presidential campaign. However, the PDP was initially able to bring Ekweremadu and Edeoga back to the party with both releasing public statements accepting the primary results; but dynamics then shifted when Ekweremadu was arrested and detained in the United Kingdom for an organ-harvesting conspiracy while Edeoga ended up joining the Labour Party to become its nominee.[71]
As the campaign continued into August 2022, analysts noted the competing region-based claims for the right to contest the election along with the added factor of Ugwuanyi's senatorial candidacy for the Enugu North district.[72][73][74] The next month, reporting on the continued state APC internal crisis revealed such extreme infighting that it pundits argued the rival blocs focused more on internal power than electoral performance.[75][74] Nnaji even rejected campaign contributions from APC presidential nominee Bola Tinubu and claimed that disputes over those incoming funds were a driver of the internal crisis.[76] By September, multiple reports had classified Edeoga as a major candidate due to the Labour Party's growth and reported anger towards the long-governing state PDP (especially in the region around Nsukka).[77] However, in November, Edeoga's nomination was nullified by a court ruling;[10] the LP initiated an appeal instead of holding a new primary and the nullification was overturned by an Appeal Court ruling in early January.[78][11]
By February, attention mainly switched to the presidential election on 25 February. In the election, Enugu State voted for Peter Obi (LP); Obi won the state with 93.9% of the vote, beating Atiku Abubakar (PDP) at 3.5% and Bola Tinubu (APC) at 1.1%. Although the result was unsurprising—Enugu is in Obi's southeastern stronghold and projections had favored him—the result led to increased attention on the chances of both Edeoga and Nweke, especially considering the overall decline of the state PDP. Although Edeoga was the LP nominee and received Obi's endorsement, some elements of LP supporters balked at Edeoga's former association with Ugwuanyi in addition to his unpopular time as Environment Commissioner and instead backed Nweke.[79][80] Based on these dynamics, the EiE-SBM forecast projected Nweke to win.[81] On the other hand, a Premium Times article labeled the election as a "two-horse race" between Edeoga and Mbah.[82]
On 26 February 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission released the timetable, setting out key dates and deadlines for the election.[84] Months later on 27 May 2022, INEC made a slight revision to the timetable, allowing parties extra time to conduct primaries.[85]
28 February 2022 – Publication of Notice of Election
4 April 2022 – First day for the conduct of party primaries
9 June 2022[c] – Final day for the conduct of party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from them
1 July 2022 – First day for submission of nomination forms to INEC via the online portal
15 July 2022 – Final day for submission of nomination forms to INEC via the online portal
12 October 2022 – Commencement of the official campaign period
16 March 2023[d] – Final day of the official campaign period
^AfricaElects projections predict the likelihood of a candidate winning a state by categorizing a state as "Safe" for exceedingly likely, "Likely" for somewhat likely, and "Lean" for least likely. If no clear determination could be made, states are categorized as "tossups".
^EiE-SBM projections predict which candidates will win states.
^The original deadline was 3 June; however, INEC pushed it back to 9 June at the behest of parties.[86]
^The original deadline was 9 March; however, INEC pushed it back to 16 March.[87]
^"RANKING NIGERIAN GOVERNORS, AUGUST, 2019: Top 5, Bottom 5". Ripples Nigeria. Retrieved 7 April 2022. Enugu State has lately been in the news for the wrong reasons, largely due to kidnapping and gruesome murders...The governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has, however, from our findings continued to manage the situation creditably.
^Olawoyin, Oladeinde. "Inside the world of Igbo Muslims in Nigeria's South-east region". Premium Times. Retrieved 7 April 2022. The destruction and burning of properties belonging to Muslims in the area by some residents of the host communities and the subsequent burning of two mosques in the town. The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, immediately called for restraint among the warring residents. He visited the sites and promised to rebuild the mosques. "The governor is a peace-loving man. He presented those two mosques- redesigned and rebuilt, to the Muslim community, just recently," Mr Ugwu said.
^ abcdefghijklm"PDP screens 48 aspirants for governor in S'West, S'East". The Nation. Retrieved 29 April 2022. Enugu aspirants are Ekweremadu; Denge Joseph Onoh; Chinyeaka Ohaa, Barth Nnaji, Dr. Gabriel Ajah and Prof. Hilary Edeoga. Others are Chijioke Edeoga, Peter Mba, Senator Gil Nnaji; Capt Evarest Nnaji; Beloved Dan Anike; Rev. Raph Nwoye; Chief Chikwado Chukwunta; Dr. Kingsley Udeh and Barr. Nwabueze Ugwu.
^ abcdefghijklmnop"After SaharaReporters' Story On Mbah, Enugu PDP Stakeholders List Other Governorship Aspirants 'Being Prosecuted For Corruption, Fraud'". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 10 May 2022. "Incidentally, Mbah is not the only one among the 15 governorship aspirants cleared by the party to contest for Enugu State governorship ticket in the 2023 election. Among those who were cleared with Mbah are Prof. Bart Nnaji, Nwabueze Ugwu, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye, Capt. Everest Nnaji (retd.), Hon, Chijioke Edeoga, Dr. Ken Onoh, Prof. Hillary Edeoga, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, Elder G.O.C. Ajah, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, Beloved Dan Anike, Senator Gil Nnaji and Engr. Everest Anike.
