Nine states have been identified as key battleground states where the contest for the position of the governor would be fierce among the 29 states holding gubernatorial and state house of assemblies elections.

The Centre of Democracy and Development (CDD’s) Election Analysis Centre (EAC), said its experienced analysts at the EAC, following hours of deliberations, have identified Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Imo and Adamawa. Others are Ogun, Plateau, Bauchi, and Sokoto.

“Tomorrow’s elections are important because governors are about the most strategic positions in governance and who emerges often have a direct bearing on good governance and improved or worsened security,” Dr. Joe Abah, an analyst at the EAC and the Nigerian director for U.K. Department for International Development (UKAID), said.

“The greatest challenge to good governance in Nigeria is the relatively high percentage of governors who are excessively corrupt, irresponsible in their governance mandate and often almost completely absent from their respective states. Our hope is that citizens have closely monitored and assessed the performance of their governors and are ready to sanction bad governors.”

As part of its efforts to monitor and provide factual analysis and updates on the Saturday polls, the CDD’s EAC is collaborating with the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) and The Cable newspaper to deploy about 100 journalists from their stables.
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