The state has a growing economy but is facing an underdeveloped agricultural sector, overcrowded urban areas, desertification, and relatively low education rates.
Politically, the state's 2019 elections were categorized as a reassertion of the APC's federal dominance after mass 2018 defections away from the party led by outgoing Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his allies.
[21] In terms of his performance, Umar Ganduje was praised for attempting to return out-of-school children to school, calling for restrictions on herding, and education policy.
[22][23][24] However, he faced criticism for his feud with the then-Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II which led to the sacking and illegal forced exile of the emir, briefly banning people of different sexes from riding the same commercial tricycles, downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic, alleged anti-Christian sentiment in the state government and infringements on constitutionally-mandated secularism, further corruption, a series of questionable awards he received in an attempt to rebuild his public image, and nepotism.
[45][46] The intraparty violence then became deadly in March 2022 when four people were killed in clashes between supporters of Sule Garo and Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, another potential gubernatorial candidate.
[47] Other than the factional crisis, fears of candidate imposition arose after state First Lady Hafsat Ganduje endorsed Sule Garo at an event in August 2021.
[48][49] Although the state government claimed she was recorded out of context, the video of the powerful first lady publicly backing a then-unannounced candidate nine months before the primary led to rumours that Governor Umar Ganduje himself was supporting Sule Garo as well.
Sule Garo, who ransacked a collation centre in 2019 with Deputy Governor Nasir Yusuf Gawuna to force the election to inconclusiveness, is from Kano North like Umar Ganduje making his potential nomination angering for those supporting regional power rotation.
[51][52] In reaction, House of Representatives member Kabiru Alhassan Rurum swiftly left the APC in protest of another non-southerner being poised to gain the party's nomination (Gawuna is from Kano Central).
[55] Despite the statement, withdrawals continued as Jibrin opted to drop out and seek re-election to the Senate as A.A. Zaura also withdrew for a senatorial run.
[87] As many members of Kwankwaso's Kwankwasiyya movement defected along with him, analysts state that the NNPP's rise has the potential to hurt the PDP in the general election.
[95] In December, a Federal High Court ruling ordered INEC to recognize Abacha as the nominee again;[12] Wali vowed to appeal the judgment.
[13] After the primaries, pundits focused on the continued internal issues of the three major parties, namely: the dispute over the legitimate PDP nominee, aggrieved members of the APC and some of their defections, and unease in the rising NNPP.
[123] Later that month, the PDP crisis returned to the forefront as a court ruling awarded the nomination back to Abacha;[12] Wali vowed to appeal the judgment.
[124] In the new year, BBC Hausa organized a debate on 14 January 2023 and invited Abacha, Gawuna, Ibrahim Sharada, and Yusuf[a] in addition to PRP nominee Salihu Tanko Yakasai to participate.
Held at the Dangote Business School of the Bayero University, the debate touched on topics ranging from education to security.
[126] Amid further fora and rallies, analysts reiterated that the gubernatorial election was effectively a proxy battle between Ganduje, Kwankwaso, and Shekarau.
[132] Reports also examined the highly contentious final stretch of campaigning between the APC and NNPP, with tensions and fear of violence heightened in the wake of several deadly clashes on and around the federal election date.