The campaign season for the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections officially opens today, September 8, giving political parties and candidates the green light to begin direct mobilisation of voters across the country.
The commencement follows the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which had earlier fixed August 19 as the date for the start of campaigns for presidential and National Assembly candidates.
News reports that the governorship elections will be held in 28 states whose electoral cycles align with the 2027 general election.
The remaining eight states—Imo, Ondo, Osun, Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Ekiti and Anambra—will not participate in the governorship election because their election cycles fall outside the general timetable.
Major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress and African Democratic Congress, have produced governorship candidates across the 28 states, setting the stage for a fresh round of political competition ahead of the polls.
However, the opening of the campaign window comes as some parties are still struggling to put their campaign structures fully in place.
Nearly three weeks after campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections began, some of the major parties have yet to inaugurate their national or state campaign councils, raising questions about their preparedness for the expanded campaign season.
The APC recently announced the composition of its national campaign council but is yet to formally inaugurate the body. Party sources attributed the delay to objections surrounding some of the names included in the council, with the leadership reportedly considering adjustments to the membership before the inauguration.
Opposition parties are also facing similar challenges. The NDC, ADC and Peoples Democratic Party are yet to fully activate their central and state campaign structures, with political observers linking the delays to post-primary disagreements, funding challenges and continuing discussions over alliances and political strategies ahead of the election.
The development means that while the legal campaign period has begun, some parties may have to intensify efforts to resolve internal issues and establish effective structures capable of reaching voters at the grassroots.
The development also comes as INEC prepares to publish the final list of candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The commission is expected to release the final list on September 12, in accordance with the timetable for the election. The 2026 Electoral Act requires INEC to publish the final list of candidates at least 60 days before an election.
We reported earlier that the commission has been compiling and verifying information submitted by political parties before the publication. Sources familiar with the process said the exercise was being handled carefully to avoid errors or complaints from political parties and candidates.
The APC, PDP and ADC are expected to field candidates across the 469 National Assembly constituencies, comprising 109 Senate seats and 360 House of Representatives seats. The NDC is also expected to contest all 109 senatorial seats and 219 House of Representatives seats, although the figures submitted by the parties have not been publicly confirmed by INEC.
The deadline for substituting presidential and National Assembly candidates expired on August 22, while the submission of nomination forms for the elections closed on August 29.