The New Year 2023 is significant for Nigeria. It will feature some epochal political events that will shape the future of the most populous African nation for years to come.

Here is a list of the top five political events in the year 2023:

2023 General Election

Nigeria will conduct a general election in 2023.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 25, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, March 11, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo aptly said in one of his recent interventions that the 2023 general election may make or break the country.

May 29 presdiential handover

After the conduct of the general elections, a new set of leaders will be sworn in to take up the mantle of political leadership for the next four years.

On May 29, President Muhammadu Buhari will officially handover to the newly elected president, signally the end of an era and the begininng of a new one.

Inauguration of 10th National Assembly and swearing-in of new governors

Why the bulk of Nigerian’s attention appears to be on the presidency, the National Assemly and the state governors wield significant influence in the nation’s polity.

After the elections, the 10th National Assembly will be inaugurated with its new set of leaders while new governors will also assume power at the subnational level.

Bayelsa and Kogi elections

In November 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states.

In Kogi state, Governor Yahaya Bello will not be on the ballot as he is already completing his second term and cannot run for the third term based on the Constitutional provisions.

However, the current governor of Bayelsa, Douye Diri, is just in his first term and will most likely seek re-election in November.

National census

Though this is not a political exercise, it is a significant event that has a direct impact on politics and governance.

The National Population Commission(NPC) has projected that the fifth national census since Independence will hold in April 2023. The last national census took place in 2006.