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List of Nigerian Governors 2026: All 36 States, Parties and Deputies

NTL

October 13, 2026

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Last updated: 13 October 2026. Nigeria has 36 state governors, and party affiliations change often when governors defect, so we update this list as new information is confirmed. Check your state government or INEC for official confirmation.

Nigeria’s state governors are among the most powerful elected officials in the country, running state governments, budgets and many public services. Because they also control party machinery in their states, where each governor stands politically matters far beyond the state itself. This guide gives you the complete list, explains how the party map has changed since 2023, and shows who is on the ballot for the 2027 governorship elections.

Full List of Nigerian Governors by State

The table below lists the governor, deputy governor, capital and party for every state. It reflects published governor lists and the results of the 2025 and 2026 off-cycle elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun.

Sources: published lists of current state governors and 2025 and 2026 election results. Some older lists still show a few governors in the PDP, but those governors have since changed party.

Governors by Geopolitical Zone

Nigeria’s 36 states are grouped into six geopolitical zones. The APC now governs every state in three of the zones and holds a majority in the other three, which makes it the dominant party in every part of the country.

• North Central (6 states): Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau. All six governors are in the APC.
• North East (6 states): Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe. Five are APC and Bauchi’s Bala Muhammed is APM.
• North West (7 states): Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara. All seven are APC.
• South East (5 states): Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. Three are APC, Anambra is APGA and Abia is Labour Party.
• South South (6 states): Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers. All six are APC.
• South West (6 states): Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo. Four are APC, Osun is Accord and Oyo is APM.

How the Party Map Has Changed Since 2023

Before the 2023 elections, the APC governed 21 states, the PDP governed 14 and APGA governed one. The balance has shifted sharply since then. On the published lists we checked, the APC now governs 31 of the 36 states, while the PDP, the main opposition party in 2023, has no governor.

Most of the change came from a wave of defections from the PDP between 2025 and 2026. The table below shows the main moves reported in the press.

Dates come from press reports and may differ slightly from the date a governor formally registered or was formally received by the new party. Bauchi’s Bala Muhammed and Oyo’s Seyi Makinde have also moved to the APM, and Adamawa’s Ahmadu Fintiri now appears on the APC side in published lists.

When Delta’s governor moved, it was the first time since 1999 that the state was not governed by the PDP. The five governors outside the APC today are:

• Charles Soludo (Anambra): APGA.
• Alex Otti (Abia): Labour Party.
• Bala Muhammed (Bauchi) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo): Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
• Ademola Adeleke (Osun): Accord Party.

Seyi Makinde is also the APM’s presidential candidate for 2027, so a sitting governor is on the presidential ballot. See our 2027 Nigeria Election Hub for all 18 presidential candidates.

Rivers State: from emergency rule to the APC

Rivers is the most unusual case. On 18 March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state after a prolonged political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and lawmakers loyal to his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu and the State House of Assembly for six months and appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator. The emergency ended on 17 September 2025, and Fubara resumed office on 18 September. He has been an APC member since December 2025.

The Latest Governorship Elections

Three states have held governorship elections since late 2025. In each case the incumbent won a second term.

Anambra (8 November 2025)

Charles Soludo of APGA won re-election with 422,664 votes, well ahead of the APC’s Nicholas Ukachukwu with 99,445. He won all 21 local government areas and was sworn in for his second term on 17 March 2026.

Ekiti (20 June 2026)

Biodun Oyebanji of the APC won with 319,224 votes. The PDP’s Wole Oluyede polled 40,543 and the ADC’s Dare Bejide 12,872. He won all 16 local government areas and became the first Ekiti governor to win consecutive terms. It was the first governorship election held under the Electoral Act 2026.

Osun (15 August 2026)

Ademola Adeleke, running on the Accord Party platform, won with 511,067 votes against 444,815 for the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, a margin of 66,252. He won 19 of the 30 local government areas. He had won the 2022 election for the PDP before switching parties.

2027 Governorship Elections: Who Is on the Ballot?

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections hold on 6 February 2027 in the 28 states on the national election cycle. INEC published the final list of candidates on 10 October 2026, as the Electoral Act 2026 requires. Key facts from the nomination process:

• 21 of the 22 registered parties nominated a total of 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 28 states.
• The parties also nominated 9,692 candidates for State Houses of Assembly seats, which are contested in all 36 states.
• In the lists we reviewed, individual governorship fields run from 8 candidates in Cross River to 20 in Akwa Ibom.
• INEC cleared every incumbent governor who is seeking re-election, but left out the PDP’s candidates in Ogun and Gombe.
• In the 2023 cycle, 18 registered parties contested the governorship elections in the same 28 states. This time there are 22, and the ADC has fielded candidates in almost every state.

Governors seeking re-election

Governors elected for the first time in 2023 are eligible for a second term. In the final lists we reviewed, these incumbents are on the ballot:

Based on the final lists as published by the Nigerian Tribune on 11 October 2026, which covered 26 of the 28 states. Delta and Niger were not in the lists we reviewed, so check INEC for those states. In Rivers, the APC candidate is Kingsley Chinda, and Governor Fubara’s name does not appear on the Rivers list we reviewed.

Governors in their final term and who is replacing them

Based on the years governors took office, ten are in a second term that ends in 2027, so they cannot run again: Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Muhammed (Bauchi), Zulum (Borno), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Sule (Nasarawa), Abiodun (Ogun), Makinde (Oyo) and Buni (Yobe). The APC has named a successor candidate in each of these states.

Names are as they appear in the lists published after INEC’s release on 10 October 2026. Spellings and name order can differ between outlets. Always confirm the final candidate and any court rulings with INEC.

Several of these races will be closely watched. In Lagos, the APC’s candidate is the sitting deputy governor, Femi Hamzat, while Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who ran on the Labour Party platform in 2023, is on the ADC ticket. In Oyo, the governor is on the presidential ballot for the APM, while the APC has fielded Sharafadeen Alli. In Abia, Alex Otti of the Labour Party will face a crowded field of 14 other candidates, including the APC’s Eric Opah.

The disputes over omitted names in Ogun and Gombe also matter. The PDP’s candidates were left off the final lists in both states, so watch for any court rulings. Read our report on INEC’s final list of governorship candidates nationwide for more.

When do the off-cycle states vote?

Eight states hold their governorship elections outside the national cycle. Their governorship elections come roughly every four years, in the months before each governor’s term expires:

The next dates are estimates based on four-year terms. INEC announces the exact dates. Diri (Bayelsa) and Uzodimma (Imo) are in second terms, so they cannot run again.

How Nigerian Governors Are Chosen

• Eligibility: a Nigerian citizen by birth, at least 35 years old, who belongs to a political party and is sponsored by it.
• Term: four years, with a maximum of two terms under the constitution.
• Succession: if a governor leaves office, the deputy governor takes over. Lucky Aiyedatiwa became Ondo governor on 27 December 2023 after the death of Rotimi Akeredolu.
• Court rulings: Supreme Court judgments in January and February 2020 awarded the Imo and Bayelsa governorships to Hope Uzodimma and Douye Diri respectively, after the original winners were disqualified or removed.
• Governors’ groups: all 36 governors belong to the non-partisan Nigeria Governors’ Forum. There are also party groups such as the Progressive Governors Forum.

What Does a Nigerian Governor Do?

A governor is the chief executive of a state. Governors lead the state’s executive council, propose and implement the state budget, appoint commissioners and other officials, and oversee state-run services such as education, health and roads. They work alongside the State House of Assembly, which makes state laws and confirms key appointments, and they deal with the federal government on security, funding and national policy. Their influence also extends to party politics, because governors often control the party structure in their state and can swing votes at national level.

Key Terms Explained

• Off-cycle election: a governorship election held outside the national election cycle.
• Deputy governor: the state’s second-highest official, who takes over if the governor leaves office.
• Defection: a politician leaving one party to join another.
• APC, PDP, APGA, LP, APM, Accord, ADC: Nigerian political parties. APC is the All Progressives Congress, PDP the Peoples Democratic Party, APGA the All Progressives Grand Alliance, LP the Labour Party, APM the Allied Peoples Movement and ADC the African Democratic Congress.
• FCT: the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), headed by a minister appointed by the president.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many governors are there in Nigeria?

There are 36 governors, one for each state. The Federal Capital Territory is led by a minister, not a governor.

Which party has the most governors in Nigeria?

The APC has the most, with 31 of the 36 governors, based on published lists in October 2026.

Does the PDP still have any governors?

On the lists we checked, no governor is currently on the PDP platform. Several governors who won on the PDP ticket in 2023 have since moved to other parties.

Who is the governor of Lagos State?

Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC. His deputy is Femi Hamzat, and he is in his final term.

Who won the 2026 Osun governorship election?

Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, with 511,067 votes against the APC candidate’s 444,815.

How long is a governor’s term in Nigeria?

Four years, renewable once, so no governor can serve more than eight years.

When is the next governorship election?

The next governorship elections hold on 6 February 2027 in 28 states. Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi are expected to vote in late 2027, and Edo and Ondo in 2028.

How many candidates are running for governor in 2027?

INEC said 21 of the 22 registered parties nominated 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates across the 28 states. Each state’s race typically has between 8 and 20 governorship candidates.

Which governors cannot run again in 2027?

Ten governors are in their final term, including those of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa and Yobe.

More Nigerian Politics

• 2027 Nigeria Election Hub: dates, timetable, candidates and latest news
• INEC publishes final list of governorship candidates nationwide
• Dollar to naira exchange rate today

Browse all our coverage in the Politics section.

Sources

• Wikipedia: List of current state governors in Nigeria
• Tribune Online: Governorship candidates on INEC’s final list for 2027 elections
• The Journal Nigeria: INEC releases 2027 governorship list, omits Adebutu and Pantami
• The Interviews Nigeria: INEC set to publish final candidate list for governorship and assembly polls
• Premium Times: INEC declares Accord’s Ademola Adeleke winner of governorship election
• Voice of Nigeria: Oyebanji wins Ekiti governorship election
• News Central TV: Soludo sworn in for second term
• Channels Television: Tinubu ends emergency rule in Rivers
• BusinessDay: Taraba governor Kefas defects from PDP to APC
• Legit.ng: List of PDP governors who have dumped the party since 2023
• TheWill: INEC begins preparation for Edo and Ondo governorship elections
• Wikipedia: 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections