The Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections, clearing 4,408 candidates to contest the 109 Senate and 360 House of Representatives seats.
The list shows a heavily male-dominated contest, with 3,965 men representing about 90 per cent of the candidates, compared with only 443 women, who account for about 10 per cent of the field.
The Senate has 1,195 candidates, comprising 1,080 men and 115 women, while the House of Representatives has 3,213 candidates, made up of 2,885 men and 328 women.
The figures mean women account for about 9.6 per cent of Senate candidates and 10.2 per cent of House of Representatives candidates.
The Allied Peoples Movement recorded the highest number of female candidates across the two chambers, with 11 women contesting Senate seats and 42 seeking seats in the House of Representatives.
The final publication formally moves the National Assembly contest into a new phase, with political parties now expected to intensify campaigns, grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement ahead of the January 16, 2027 elections.
What the INEC list Shows
The 4,408 candidates are spread across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Senate list covers 109 senatorial districts, while the House list covers 360 federal constituencies.
The official Senate document contains the candidate’s state, senatorial district, name, political party, age, gender, qualifications and disability status. The House document contains the equivalent information for the 360 federal constituencies.
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This makes the latest publication more than a list of names. It provides a snapshot of the political parties, gender balance and level of competition entering the 2027 race.
Senate: 1,195 Candidates for 109 Seats
The Senate race has 1,195 candidates competing for 109 seats.
Of this number:
| Category | Candidates |
|---|---|
| Male | 1,080 |
| Female | 115 |
| Total | 1,195 |
Women therefore represent only 9.6 per cent of the Senate field.
The official INEC document also reveals that the number of candidates varies considerably between senatorial districts, with some districts attracting far more candidates than others.
House of Representatives: 3,213 Candidates for 360 Seats
The House contest is even larger.
INEC listed 3,213 candidates for the 360 federal constituencies.
| Category | Candidates |
|---|---|
| Male | 2,885 |
| Female | 328 |
| Total | 3,213 |
Women account for approximately 10.2 per cent of the House field.
The figures underline the continued gender imbalance in Nigeria’s federal electoral contests.
State-by-state Picture
The official INEC documents organise candidates according to state and constituency.
The Senate list covers:
Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory.
The House of Representatives document similarly breaks the 3,213 candidates down by state and federal constituency.
Southwest: 200 Senate Candidates
A closer analysis of the six Southwest states shows 200 candidates competing for the region’s 18 Senate seats.
The breakdown is:
| State | Senate candidates | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osun | 39 | 7 | 32 |
| Oyo | 38 | 4 | 34 |
| Ogun | 37 | 4 | 33 |
| Lagos | 36 | 3 | 33 |
| Ondo | 31 | 1 | 30 |
| Ekiti | 19 | 2 | 17 |
| Total | 200 | 21 | 179 |
The figures show that women constitute only 10.5 per cent of the Southwest Senate field. Osun has the largest number of candidates, while Ekiti has the smallest.
The Southwest Senate field also cuts across more than 20 political parties, demonstrating that the 2027 legislative contests extend beyond the traditional dominance of the major parties.
Kogi: 42 Candidates Enter Three-way Senate Battle
Kogi State has 42 candidates contesting its three senatorial districts.
The Kogi Central contest has attracted particular attention following the inclusion of former Governor Yahaya Bello as the APC candidate and incumbent Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the PDP candidate.
Kogi West also features incumbent Senator Sunday Karimi of the APC.
The three districts have:
- Kogi Central — 11 candidates
- Kogi East — 17 candidates
- Kogi West — 14 candidates
The final list contains candidates from several political parties, including APC, ADC, NDC, PDP and other parties.
Gender Gap Remains the Biggest Story
The most striking feature of the final National Assembly list is the continuing imbalance between male and female candidates.
Out of 4,408 candidates, only 443 are women.
That means roughly one in every 10 candidates is female.
The Senate is even less balanced, with women making up fewer than one in 10 candidates.
The House performs marginally better, but female candidates still account for only about one in every 10 contestants.
The figures raise fresh questions about women’s participation in Nigerian politics, particularly at the level where laws governing national policy and public spending are made.
Party Competition
The final list also shows that the 2027 National Assembly contest will involve a broad field of political parties.
The major parties feature heavily across the country, but smaller parties have also produced candidates in several constituencies.
In the Southwest Senate race, for example, the final list contains candidates from parties including APC, ADC, NDC, PDP, APM, SDP, LP, NDP, NRM, YPP, ZLP and others.
This means voters in several constituencies will face a crowded ballot, potentially making party identification, candidate visibility and grassroots mobilisation important factors in the contest.
What the Final List Means for 2027
The publication of the final list changes the character of the 2027 National Assembly race.
The nomination phase has effectively given way to the campaign battle.
Candidates now have a clearly defined electoral field, while voters can begin to assess who is seeking to represent their constituencies.
For the major political parties, the challenge will be to convert their nominations into votes.
For smaller parties, the challenge will be visibility, organisation and the ability to compete against established political structures.
For women, however, the figures show that the struggle for greater representation remains far from over.
With 4,408 candidates competing for 469 National Assembly seats, the January 2027 election is set to produce one of the most extensive legislative contests in Nigeria’s recent electoral history.
The Numbers at a Glance
4,408 — Total Senate and House candidates
1,195 — Senate candidates
3,213 — House candidates
3,965 — Male candidates
443 — Female candidates
109 — Senate seats
360 — House seats
200 — Southwest Senate candidates
42 — Kogi Senate candidates
18 Presidential Candidates And Running Mates Listed For 2027 Election
The electoral body on Saturday released its final list of presidential and vice-presidential candidates for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Makinde, Others Make Final List
The list contained 18 presidential candidates and their running mates across various political parties and was signed by the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
Among those on the list are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Sandy Ojang Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Sowore, Adenuga, Adebayo, Others Also Listed
Other presidential candidates are Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje of the Action Alliance (AA), Abbas-Bin Aliyu of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yusuf Kabiru of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), Sunday Adenuga of the Boot Party (BP), Adebisi Olusoji of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Sunday Okereke of the Labour Party (LP), Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peter Agada of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Nwanyanwu Daberechukwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Two Female Candidates Included
The list also featured two female presidential candidates, Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.