The Nasarawa state governorship election was initially speculated to be a three – horse race following the spectacular performance of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the February 25,2023 presidential and National Assembly election.

Governor Abdullahi Sule

The SDP won two of the three senatorial seats. Senator Godiya Akwashiki formerly an All Progressives Congress ( APC) senator withdrew few months to the party’s primary and joined the SDP.

Dr. David Ombugadu, Candidate of the PDP

He won the Nasarawa North senatorial seat. The case was also the same in Nasarawa West where Ahmed Wadada withdrew from APC crossed over to SDP and got the blessing of the electorate to represent them at Nasarawa West. Alhaji Mohammed Onawo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won the Nasarawa south senatorial seat.

Voters waiting to cast their votes

But current realities revealed that it may be a straight contest between the incumbent governor who is flying the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Engr. Abdullahi Sule is the standard bearer of the APC while Dr. David Ombugadu is the candidate of the PDP.

Political observers of Nasarawa politics had concluded when Abdullahi Maidoya of the New Nigerian Progressive Party (NNPP) and Muhammed Alfa Nyass addressed a joint press conference on March 15,2023 announcing their withdraw from the race and joining forces with a party they would announce later.

They did, and their supporters were told to support the second term ambition of the governor. This perhaps explains why it is going to be a contest between the governor and the candidate of the main opposition party,the PDP.

According to them, what happened at the National Assembly election was a protest vote against the policies and politics of the APC National Chairman of the party who incidentally is from the state.

Before the February 25,2023 election was held, the Labour Party (LP) had mobilized youths but the outcome of the election seem to have hunted their enthusiasm as many registered voters stayed away from polling centres in most towns and villages in Nasarawa state on Saturday.

Consequently, the governorship and House of Assembly election in Nasarawa state recorded low turn out of voters compared to the February 25th election.

Former governor of the state and current National Chairman of the APC , Senator Abdullahi Adamu confirmed the low turnout of voters shortly after casting his vote at the GRA 1A polling unit.

His words:” I did appealed to them (electorates) to come out and vote and to vote APC. I had hoped the turn out would be more encouraging”.

In almost all the polling units visited, there was a remarkable improvement in terms of logistics. At polling unit 111, Zinaria school,Maraba, the Assistant Presiding Officer 1, Mr. Odeh Ayole was set for duty at 8:09. For Mr. Ebenezer Everest, the Presiding Officer at GRA 1A, Keffi, voting started at 8:15am.

According to him, he got to his polling unit at 8:00am, met some electorates on ground and since the BVAS started working at 8:00 ,he had no reason than to proceed with accreditation and voting.

Mr. Stephen Ayara a voter at ECWA Primary school,Keffi who is an elderly person said he was granted permission to vote immediately he got to the polling unit.

BVAS performance was at its best as all the Presiding Officers spoken to and some voters confirmed that the machines performed creditably well.

It was also observed that many of the political parties were not represented at most of the polling units visited during the election.

In addition, few foreign and local election observers were seen .