2023 Nigerian general election

General elections were held in Nigeria on 25 February 2023 to elect the president and vice president and members of the Senate and House of Representatives. Incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari was term-limited and could not seek re-election for a third term.[1] This election was seen as the tightest race since the end of military rule in 1999.[2]

2023 Nigerian general election

← 2019 25 February 2023 2027 →
Turnout26.71% (Decrease 8.04pp)
 
Nominee Bola Tinubu Atiku Abubakar
Party APC PDP
Home state Lagos Adamawa
Running mate Kashim Shettima Ifeanyi Okowa
States carried 12 12
Popular vote 8,794,726 6,984,520
Percentage 36.61% 29.07%

 
Nominee Peter Obi Rabiu Kwankwaso
Party LP NNPP
Home state Anambra Kano
Running mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed Isaac Idahosa
States carried 11 + FCT 1
Popular vote 6,101,533 1,496,687
Percentage 25.40% 6.23%

President before election

Muhammadu Buhari
APC

Elected President

Bola Tinubu
APC

Senate election

All 109 seats in the Senate
Party Leader Seats +/–
APC Godswill Akpabio 59 −5
PDP Vacant 37 −7
LP Julius Abure[a] 7 +7
NNPP Rufai Ahmed Alkali[a] 2 New
SDP Vacant 2 +2
APGA Victor Ikechukwu Oye[a] 1 +1
YPP Bishop Amakiri[a] 1 0
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

All 360 seats in the House of Representatives
Party Leader Seats +/–
APC Tajudeen Abbas 176 −26
PDP Ndudi Elumelu 119 −7
LP Julius Abure[a] 35 +34
NNPP Rufai Ahmed Alkali[a] 19 New
APGA Victor Ikechukwu Oye[a] 5 −4
ADC Leke Abejide[b] 2 −1
SDP Vacant 2 +1
YPP Bishop Amakiri[a] 2 +2
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Electoral system

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The President of Nigeria is elected using a modified two-round system with up to three rounds. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a plurality of the votes and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a majority of votes in the highest number of states. In the second round, a candidate still must receive the most votes and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to be elected. If neither candidate passes this threshold, a third round will be held where just majority of the votes is required to be elected.

The 109 members of the Senate are elected from 109 single-seat constituencies (three in each state and one for the Federal Capital Territory) by first-past-the-post voting.[3] The 360 members of the House of Representatives are also elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies.[4]

Presidential election

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All Progressives Congress primary

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With President Muhammadu Buhari having been elected to the office of president twice, he was ineligible for renomination. There was no formal zoning agreement for the APC nomination despite calls from politicians and interest groups such as the Southern Governors' Forum to zone the nomination to the South as Buhari, a northerner, was elected twice.[5] The party held its indirect presidential primary on 8 June 2022 in Abuja and nominated Bola Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State.[6][7] In mid-June, the APC submitted the name of Kabir Ibrahim Masari—a politician and party operative from Katsina State—as a placeholder vice presidential nominee to be substituted at a later date.[8] On 10 July, Ibrahim Masari formally withdrew as vice presidential nominee and later that day, Tinubu announced Kashim Shettima—Senator for Borno Central and former Governor of Borno State—as his replacement.[9]

APC ticket

Presidential nominee Vice Presidential nominee
Bola Tinubu Kashim Shettima
 
 
Governor of Lagos State
(1999–2007)
Senator for Borno Central
(2019–present)

Labour Party primary

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On 30 May 2022, shortly after former Governor of Anambra State Peter Obi joined the party from the PDP, the Labour Party held its presidential primary in Asaba where Obi was nominated unopposed.[10] On 17 June, the party submitted the name of Doyin Okupe—a physician and former PDP candidate who became the Director-General of the Obi Campaign Organisation—as a placeholder vice presidential nominee to be substituted for someone else at a later date.[11] On 7 July, Okupe formally withdrew as vice presidential nominee and the next day, Obi announced Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed—former Senator for Kaduna North—as his replacement.[12][13]

LP ticket

Presidential nominee Vice Presidential nominee
Peter Obi Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed
 
 
Governor of Anambra State
(2006; 2006–2007; 2007–2014)
Senator for Kaduna North (2011–2012)

New Nigeria Peoples Party primary

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The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) held its convention and presidential primary election on 8 June 2022 and nominated Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was the sole candidate, as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.[14] On 14 July 2022, Kwankwaso picked Isaac Idahosa as his running mate and vice presidential candidate of the NNPP.[15]

NNPP ticket

Presidential nominee Vice Presidential nominee
Rabiu Kwankwaso Isaac Idahosa
 
 
Governor of Kano State
(1999–2003; 2011–2015)
Bishop of God First Ministry a.k.a. Illumination Assembly
(1985–present)

People's Democratic Party primary

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In October 2021, newly elected PDP Chairman Iyorchia Ayu backed the indirect primary method of nominating a presidential candidate instead of the direct or consensus methods.[16] There was no zoning agreement for the PDP nomination despite calls from politicians and interest groups such as the Southern Governors' Forum to zone the nomination to the South as the APC's Buhari, a Northerner, was elected twice.[17] The party held its indirect presidential primary on 28 May 2022 in Abuja and nominated Atiku Abubakar—its 2019 nominee and former Vice President.[18][19] On 16 June, Abubakar selected Governor of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.[20]

PDP ticket

Presidential nominee Vice Presidential nominee
Atiku Abubakar Ifeanyi Okowa
 
 
Vice President of Nigeria
(1999–2007)
Governor of Delta State
(2015–2023)

National Assembly elections

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Senate elections

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The 2023 Nigerian Senate elections were held on 25 February 2023. All 109 seats in the Senate of Nigeria were up for election.

House of Representatives elections

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The 2023 Nigerian House of Representatives elections were held on 25 February 2023. All 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeria were up for election.

Conduct

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Allegations of problems in the election included shooting and other violent attacks on election workers and journalists, conflict of interest, lack of financial disclosures, and politicians displaying their ballots, which is not allowed.[21]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Party chairman; not a member of the House of Representatives
  2. ^ Party's sole member in the outgoing House of Representatives

References

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  1. ^ Jimoh, Abbas (26 February 2022). "INEC Sets New Dates For 2023 General Elections". Daily Trust. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Nigeria election 2023: Early results arriving". BBC News. 26 February 2023.
  3. ^ "National Assembly | Federal Republic of Nigeria". National Assembly. 16 February 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  4. ^ "IPU PARLINE database: NIGERIA (House of Representatives), Electoral system". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  5. ^ "2023: APC In Fresh Dilemma Over Zoning, Convention". Daily Trust. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. ^ "LIVE: Bola Tinubu Declared Winner Of APC Presidential Primary". Channelstv. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Tinubu wins APC presidential ticket". Reuters. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  8. ^ Erezi, Dennis (17 June 2022). "Tinubu submits name of running mate to INEC". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  9. ^ Akinboyo, Temidayo. "UPDATED: Tinubu finally names Shettima as running mate". Premium Times. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ^ "2023: Obi picks LP presidential ticket". The Guardian. News Agency of Nigeria. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  11. ^ Aliyu, Abdullateef (17 June 2022). "Running Mate: Like Tinubu, Peter Obi Picks Doyin Okupe As Placeholder". Daily Trust. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  12. ^ Adenekan, Samson. "Okupe withdraws as Peter Obi's running mate". Premium Times. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  13. ^ "2023 Elections: Peter Obi Announces Datti Baba-Ahmed As Running Mate". Channels Television. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  14. ^ Noah Banjo (8 June 2022). "BREAKING: Kwankwaso emerges NNPP presidential candidate". The Punch. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  15. ^ Ignatius Igwe (14 July 2022). "2023: Kwankwaso Picks Idahosa As Running Mate". Channels TV. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  16. ^ Ojiego, Nnamdi. "Internal democracy will stop defections — Iyorchia Ayu, new PDP Chair". Vanguard. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  17. ^ Fabiyi, Olusola; Alechenu, John; Aworinde, Tobi; Odogun, Gbenga (10 July 2021). "2023: PDP may counter Southern govs on zoning, throw presidential ticket open". The Punch. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  18. ^ "2023: PDP releases pre-election schedule, fixes presidential primary poll for May 28". TheCable. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  19. ^ "Atiku Beats Wike, Saraki, Others, Clinches PDP Presidential Ticket". Daily Trust. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  20. ^ Oyeleke, Sodiq (16 June 2022). "BREAKING: Atiku announces Okowa as running mate". The Punch. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  21. ^ Oyedeji, Olanrewaju and Gbenga Salau; Salau, Gbenga (30 September 2024). "All Roar and No Bite: Exposing Nigeria's Paper Tiger Election Laws". Veza. Retrieved 4 October 2024.