2027 Election: INEC Releases Edo Candidate List as 77 Contest for National Assembly Seats

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its final list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections, with 77 candidates cleared to contest for Senate and House of Representatives seats in Edo State.

The list shows that 26 candidates are contesting for the three Senate seats, while another 51 candidates are vying for nine seats in the House of Representatives.

The election is scheduled to hold on January 16, 2027, as political parties and their candidates prepare for the campaign ahead of the poll.

According to the candidate data, the Edo race has a clear gender gap, with 68 men and only nine women among the 77 National Assembly candidates.

Women therefore account for about 11.7 per cent of the total candidates cleared for the election.

Among those contesting for the Senate, 21 are men while five are women.

The five female senatorial candidates are Herberta Okonofua of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Evelyn Adudu of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Edo Central; Maria Oisamoje of the New Democratic Congress (NDC) in Edo North; and Osahenoma Ekhorutomwen of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Brigitte Epelle-Asemota of the NDC) in Edo South.

The House of Representatives race has 47 male candidates and four female candidates.

The female candidates include Abimbola Eragbe of the Labour Party (LP) and Elizabeth Jemitola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akoko-Edo, Rabietu Momodu of the LP in Etsako, and Omosede Igbinedion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ovia, who is seeking re-election.

One of the most prominent names on the Edo candidate list is former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is contesting the Edo North Senatorial District seat on the platform of the APC.

At 75 years old, Oshiomhole is the oldest of the 77 candidates cleared to contest the Edo National Assembly elections.

The youngest candidate is 33-year-old Shedrach Udugbai of the ADC, who is contesting the Owan East/Owan West federal constituency.

Two other candidates, Abdulhafiz Lawal of the AAC and Osahenoma Ekhorutomwen of the ADP, are 36 years old.

The age profile of the candidates also shows limited representation of young people. Only three of the 77 candidates fall within the 18 to 35 age bracket recognised under Nigeria’s National Youth Policy.

The average age of the Senate candidates is about 52 years, while House of Representatives candidates have an average age of about 47 years.

The NDC has the highest number of female candidates among the political parties contesting the Edo National Assembly seats, with three women.

The APC has one female candidate among its 12 National Assembly candidates, while the PDP has one woman among its five candidates.

The final candidate data also shows that no candidate was designated under the Persons with Disabilities classification.

The 77 candidates will contest across Edo’s three senatorial districts and nine federal constituencies when voters go to the polls on January 16, 2027.

The Edo State governorship and House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.

With the final candidate list now released, attention will shift to the campaigns, party strategies and the battle for Edo’s seats in the National Assembly ahead of the 2027 elections.