By Taibat Ummi Yakubu

Campaigns for the 2027 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections officially commenced across Nigeria on Tuesday, September 8, in line with the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The development marks another major phase in the country’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, opening the political space for candidates seeking executive and legislative positions at the state level to take their programmes and manifestos directly to voters.

INEC had earlier authorised campaigns for presidential and National Assembly candidates to begin on August 19, three weeks ahead of the commencement of activities for governorship and state legislative contests.

With the latest phase now underway, candidates and their political parties are expected to intensify their engagements with the electorate through rallies, town hall meetings, media appearances, grassroots consultations and other campaign activities aimed at winning voter support.

The governorship election will take place in 28 states, alongside elections into the various State Houses of Assembly.

Checks indicate that major political platforms, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), have presented governorship candidates across the 28 states participating in the election.

However, while the official commencement of campaigns has cleared the way for increased political mobilisation, several major parties are still struggling to put their campaign machinery fully in place.

Almost three weeks after the commencement of campaigns for presidential and National Assembly candidates, some of the country's leading political parties have yet to inaugurate or fully operationalise their campaign councils at the national and state levels.

The APC, for instance, has announced members of its national campaign council but is yet to formally inaugurate the body.

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Party sources attributed the delay to objections and internal concerns over the inclusion of some personalities in the proposed council. The leadership is reportedly reviewing the composition, with the possibility of making further adjustments before the council is formally inaugurated.

The situation is not limited to the ruling party. Opposition platforms, including the NDC, ADC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are also yet to fully activate their central campaign structures and state-level campaign committees in several areas.

Political observers have linked the slow pace of preparations to lingering disagreements arising from party primaries, funding challenges and negotiations over possible alliances and strategic partnerships ahead of the elections.

The commencement of the 150-day campaign period for the governorship and State Assembly elections is nevertheless expected to trigger a significant increase in political activities in the coming weeks.

As parties begin to move their campaigns closer to the grassroots, candidates will face the task of convincing voters not only through manifestos but also through their records, personalities, alliances and ability to address issues affecting communities.

Meanwhile, the 2027 governorship elections will not hold in eight states—Imo, Ondo, Osun, Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Ekiti and Anambra—because their electoral cycles do not coincide with the general governorship election timetable.

The affected states will therefore retain their existing election schedules, in line with the constitutional and electoral provisions governing their respective political cycles.