Post by Danny Angbashim (@db_angbashim)

PETER OBI & OFF-CYCLE ELECTIONS

Today Gov Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State was sworn in for a 2nd term, just as Gov Adeleke of Osun State will have his turn on 27 Nov 2026.

Many people, particularly the GenZ, may not know how or why gubernatorial off-cycle elections came into our democratic space. Mr Peter Obi midwifed it into being.

Mr Obi of APGA had clearly defeated Dr Chris Ngige of PDP in the 2003 Anambra governorship election. However INEC declared Ngige as winner and was duly sworn in.

Mr Obi started from the tribunal, tenaciously exhausted the legal process, finally reclaimed his mandate on 15 March 2006 and was sworn in. Meaning Dr Ngige the usurper had illegally used 3 years leaving only 1 year for Mr Obi to complete the 4-year term.

During the 2007 nationwide general elections INEC conducted governorship election in Anambra too, declared Mr Andy Uba of PDP winner and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. So Mr Obi vacated Government House.

But he headed to the Supreme Court for interpretation of Section 180(2)(a) of the Constitution arguing that his 4-year mandate began from when he was sworn in and not when the election was held in 2003.

On 14 June 2007 the Supreme Court agreed with Mr Obi; that his mandate was from 17 March 2006 to 17 March 2010, thereby invalidating Mr Andy Uba's election. So Mr Obi simply walked back into Government House to serve out his 4-year mandate.

This then became a precedent such that candidates in subsequent governorship elections who were cheated out but later won in courts began their 4-year tenures on the dates they're sworn in.

This remains a huge contribution to the political space by the tenacity of one man, Mr Peter Obi. Before him governorship candidates who recovered their mandates from usurpers in court only served out the remaining years of the 4 years.

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