States wey decide Nigeria previous presidential elections as presidential campaign for 2027 poll begin

Campaigns for di 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections don formally start on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, and dis mean say activities wey go lead to di election don begin.

To start dis process, di National Peace Committee on Tuesday call togeda all di political parties wey get candidates for di presidential election to come and sign 'Di Peace Accord', to promise say dem go do dis campaign in peace and violence no go dey.

For Nigeria presidential elections ova di years, e get key states wey traditionally, politicians dey pay special attention to, as dem know say if dem fit win for dia, e go boost dia chance of winning dis election.

Dis article highlight dis key states, why dem dey important and how politicians dey try to win for dia.

Lagos State

Lagos na di number two state for Nigeria for population, even though na one of di states wey get di smallest land mass for di kontri.

Govment figures as at June 2025 show say Lagos get total of 7,060,195 registered voters, but di number go don increase by di time di 2027 elections reach.

Dis next election, Lagos go dey even more interesting, bicos President Bola Tinubu wey dey contest for im second term na 'Lagos boy' e be. E be former govnor of di state from 1999 to 2007.

However, e shock many pipo as Tinubu narrowly lose for Lagos for di 2023 election, getting 572,606 votes, while Peter Obi of di Labour Party dat time get 582,454.

Dis time around, sabi pipo say e fit be anoda tough contest bicos di ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) no go like to lose again for dia backyard.

Already, di ruling party don dey roll out different activities and rallies to dey mobilise dia supporters bifor di campaigns go start wella,

As for di two major opposition parties - Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), dem neva start to dey do much, although di Lagos ADC don accuse say APC thugs dey usually scata dia events weneva dem wan hold sensitisation rally.

Kano State

No be just say Kano State get di highest population for Nigeria, dem also get di highest number of registered voters - more dan eight million - and di numbas show say Kano voters dey always turn up well for elections.

Again, President Tinubu lose for Kano State for 2023 wit just 517,341 votes, against di 997,279 votes wey Musa Kwankwaso of di New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) bin get.

Now, Kwankwaso don joinbodi wit Peter Obi for di NDC as im running mate, but on di oda hand, di current Kano State govnor Abba Yusuf don comot from di NNPP to join di ruling APC.

So sabi pipo say Kano State for 2027 go witness beta contest to decide who dey more popular between Kwankwaso and Govnor Yusuf.

Both di NDC and di APC don already start to hold mini rallies to gada more supporters into dia parties, but now wey campaign don start wella, Kano State na surely one place to watch.

Rivers State

Rivers na one of di key states wey President Tinubu win for 2023 according to figures wey Inec bin announce, even though at dat time di state dey under di control of di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wit Nyesom Wike as govnor.

One BBC investigation sha later find out say dat election result wey Inec bin announce for River State, no too pure and e get some magomago.

Meanwhile, Nyesom Wike still dey claim to be PDP member, but e dey serve now for Tinubu cabinet as Minister of di Federal Capital Territory, and e still get ogbonge influence for di politics of Rivers State.

Rivers State dey for di top 10 of states wey get di highest population for Nigeria, and na one of di richest states for di kontri.

All dis togeda make Rivers State ogbonge place wia any politician wey dey dream of victory for presidential election for Nigeria suppose win.

As tins be now, di APC na di party wey dey most present for Rivers State, sake of say Minister Wike, although e still dey for PDP, don pledge im support for Tinubu, and sabi pipo say e hard to guess any oda party wey fit win for dia.

Wike don form wetin e call 'Di Rainbow Coalition', wey include politicians from different parties wit one agenda: to support President Tinubu re-election.

Di KK states

Kaduna and Katsina - di KK states na oda places wey politicians dey usually hustle to get beta votes, sake of dia block voting behaviour and dia voter turnout for previous elections.

For 2023, Tinubu lose dis two states to Atiku Abubakar of di PDP, even though di APC later win di govnorship elections for dia two weeks later.

Dis time around, Atiku dey contest under di ADC and sabi pipo say di APC fit don gain more ground for di states.

However, di two states follow for wia insecurity dey worst for Nigeria, wey fit make di pipo to vote in protest against di ruling party, according to political analysts.

Also, di influence of Kwankwaso fit help di NDC to get more support for dis areas.

Any which way, e dey clear say di work go tough for whoever win di KK states, and perhaps oda states for di northwest region.

Campaign guidelines for Nigeria

Di Nigeria Electoral Act tok wetin parties and candidates fit do and wetin dem no fit do during campaign.

Political campaign fit hapun in different ways like procession, rally, media advert, posters, handbills, billboards, house-to-house contacts wit voters,

Di law also tok how much political parties and dia candidates fit spend for campaign for di different positions wey dem dey contest for.

Here na some of dem:

Di 2026 amendment of di Electoral Act also increase di amount of moni wey pipo wey dey contest for different positions fit spend for campaign. Di new amounts na:

'Share solutions not insults' - Inec

For di peace accord signing event on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) beg di politicians to dey civil for dia campaign, and dem also promise say dem no go support any particular pesin or political party for di election.

"Inec no get any interest for who win or lose any election. Di commission no get any candidate, and e no dey favour any political platform," Joash Amupitan, Inec chairman tok.

"Make di 2027 election campaign be marketplace of ideas, not theatre of war. Nigerians no want insults, dem want solutions. Dem deserve to hear clear, concrete, and measurable manifestos."