20 National Assembly Lawmakers Shun Re-election

Experts say the effect will be felt most strongly in critical National Assembly committees

By JAMES KWEN and SAMSON ELIJAH, Abuja

There are indications that at least 18 members of the 10th National Assembly are not seeking re-election ahead of the 2027 polls.

They include 14 Senators and six members of the House of Representatives.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed 16 January 2027 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The electoral body also gave political parties until 30 May 2026 to conduct their primaries and resolve any disputes arising from the exercise.

While the primary election process is ongoing, these federal lawmakers are not seeking re-election to the seats they presently occupy.

This is because some have joined the governorship race in their states, indicated an intention to move from the House of Representatives to the Senate, or dropped out of the race for other reasons.

Among those reportedly not involved in National Assembly return bids are Senators Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central), Suleiman Umar Sadiq (Kwara North), Lola Ashiru (Kwara South), Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West), Abdul Ahmed Ningi (Bauchi Central), Kaka Shehu Lawan (Borno Central), Sarafadeen Alli (Oyo South), and Abdulfatah Buhari (Oyo North).

Others include Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (Nasarawa West), Shehu Buba Umar (Bauchi South), Amos Yohanna (Adamawa North), Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South), Aminu Iya Abbas (Adamawa Central), Hon. Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Hon. Fred Agbedi (Bayelsa), Hon. Jonathan Gaza Gbewi (Nasarawa), Hon. Adulsamad Dasuki (Sokoto), and Hon. Benjamin Etenabene (Delta).

 

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West)

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the lawmaker representing Ogun West, popularly known as Yayi, is seeking the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket to contest the 2027 general election.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations is the preferred consensus candidate of   Governor Dapo Abiodun.

 

Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi (Bauchi Central)

The Senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ahmed Ningi, is contesting for the state’s governorship race on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Senator Shehu Buba Umar (Bauchi South)

 

The lawmaker representing Bauchi South Senatorial District

under the platform of APC, Sen. Shehu Umar Buba, has formally joined the Bauchi governorship race. Buba obtained the N50 million worth APC expression of interest and nomination forms and underwent screening.

 

Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan (Borno Central)

Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan of Borno Central had picked nomination and expression of interest forms to contest the governorship seat under the APC.

 

Senator Sarafadeen Alli (Oyo South)

Senator Sarafadeen Alli, the lawmaker representing Oyo South, has joined the governorship race of his state on the platform of the ruling APC.

 

Senator Abdulfatah Buhari (Oyo North)

Senator Abdulfatah Buhari, the lawmaker representing Oyo senatorial district, has also officially joined the governorship race on the platform of APC, confirming that he would not seek a fourth Senate term.

 

Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (Nasarawa West)

Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed, a lawmaker for Nasarawa West, is seeking the APC governorship ticket to lead the state, home to solid minerals. Wadada, who recently defected from the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), has been endorsed by Governor Abdullahi Sule as his preferred successor.

 

Senator Amos Yohanna (Adamawa North)

Senator Amos Yohanna of Adamawa North, a loyalist of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, has also publicly endorsed the governor to succeed him in the Senate.

 

Senator Aminu Iya Abbas (Adamawa Central)

Senator Aminu Iya Abbas of Adamawa Central has shifted attention to the governorship race after defecting from PDP to APC.

 

 Senator Binos Yaroe(Adamawa South)

 

In Adamawa South, Senator Binos Yaroe, who moved from PDP to ADC, is reportedly stepping aside for Adamu Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

 

Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central)

The lawmaker representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Saliu Mustapha, is not seeking re-election to the Red Chamber but is seeking the APC ticket to contest the governorship of the state at the 2027 polls.

Already, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, whose tenure expires next year, is positioning himself for the Kwara Central Senatorial seat.

 

Suleiman Umar Sadiq (Kwara North)

The senator representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Sadiq Umar, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 governorship election in the state under the platform of the APC.

 

Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South)

The lawmaker representing Kwara South senatorial district and Deputy Majority leader of the 10th National Assembly is also not seeking re-election but gunning for the Kwara governorship slot on the platform of the ruling APC.

 

Hon. Kingsley Chinda(Rivers)

The member representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers state at the National Assembly and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives is not seeking re-election into the Green Chamber. However, he has reportedly obtained and submitted the APC governorship expression of interest and nomination forms, and has been screened to contest for the ruling party’s ticket ahead of the 2027 Rivers state gubernatorial polls.

 

Hon. Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi

Hon. Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi, representing the Keffi/Karu/Kokona federal constituency of Nasarawa State in the House of Representatives under the Social Democratic Party (PDP), is also among lawmakers not seeking re-election to the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly. Instead, he is in the race to succeed Governor Abdullahi Sule at the 2027 polls, having obtained SDP governorship forms.

 

Hon. Benedict Etanabene

Hon. Benedict Etanabene, who currently represents the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta state in the House of Representatives, is also not contesting for the seat again. Rather, he has purchased the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for the office of governor of Delta State in the 2027 general elections.

 

Hon. Fred Agbedi

Hon. Fred Agbedi, who currently serves as the lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor federal constituency of Bayelsa in the 10th Assembly, is not seeking re-election into the same. However, he is running for the Bayelsa West Senatorial District seat. The chairman of the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives is contesting on the party’s platform. He is to slug it out with former Governor Seriake Dickson, the national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

 

Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki

The lawmaker representing Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto state in the Green Chamber, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, last year announced that he will not seek re-election in the 2027 general election, a decision he said was a personal sacrifice to give younger Nigerians a chance to serve.

Dasuki had said his decision was driven by the need to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy by creating space for younger voices and fresh ideas in governance.

“The Nigeria we yearn for is only possible through sacrifice. After due consultation with my team, our leader, my family, and my conscience, I have decided not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2027.

“This is not born out of fatigue or disillusionment, but a higher calling — a decision rooted in belief, in hope, and in a future we all desire to see. I am still a youth by all standards, but I have crossed the 40-year threshold we proposed.

“If we are to give meaning to our words, we must be willing to pay a heavy price. This, my dear constituents, is that sacrifice. And so I choose to make space for the vision we proclaimed,” he said.

Dasuki, who first held elective office in 2011, has served in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, the State Executive Council, and currently in the National Assembly.

He also chairs the Future Is Now Project, a youth inclusion initiative launched in October 2025, which advocates that 70 per cent of seats in the House of Representatives be occupied by Nigerians under 40 by 2027.

 

Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto South)

A former governor of Sokoto State and senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has withdrawn from the race to return to the National Assembly under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)

Tambuwal reportedly stepped down in favour of one of the ADC aspirants and a former commissioner in the state, Faruk Malami Yabo.

Consequently, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives will not return to the National Assembly at the end of the 10th Assembly in June 2027.

 

Senator Ibrahim Lamido(Sokoto East)

Senator Ibrahim Lamido, the lawmaker representing Sokoto East, also withdrew from the race following a reconciliation agreement reached by the party’s (ADC) stakeholders.

However, the party is yet to announce who will fly its flag for the Sokoto East senatorial district following Lamido’s withdrawal from the contest.

No official reason had been given for the withdrawal of the two senators from the race.

 

Impact On Legislative Work

With about 20 federal lawmakers already indicating they will not return to the National Assembly, political observers say the trend reflects a familiar pattern in Nigeria’s political landscape, where legislative positions are often treated as stepping stones to executive offices or other higher positions.

Pundits argue that the steady departure of experienced lawmakers could significantly weaken the Senate’s institutional capacity.

The legislature depends heavily on institutional memory — the accumulated legislative experience, procedural knowledge and policy expertise developed over time by ranking lawmakers — to function effectively.

As more lawmakers exit after just one term or leave midway through their political careers, that reservoir of experience is gradually being depleted.

The effect is expected to be felt most strongly in critical National Assembly committees, where continuity, technical understanding and procedural expertise are essential for effective oversight.

Committees such as Appropriations, Finance, Petroleum and Defence rely heavily on experienced lawmakers to scrutinise budgets, interrogate government agencies and evaluate complex national policies.

Frequent turnover within the National Assembly means incoming lawmakers must repeatedly undergo long periods of adjustment, slowing legislative work and weakening institutional oversight.

Legislative experts also note that the departure of lawmakers often disrupts ongoing legislative proposals.

Several bills before the National Assembly are tied directly to their sponsors and may stall indefinitely once those lawmakers leave office to pursue other ambitions.

Beyond formal legislative work, the National Assembly may also lose an important layer of informal mentorship that exists within the chamber.

Senior lawmakers traditionally guide first-term legislators through parliamentary procedures, negotiations and the unwritten political dynamics of the National Assembly.

Their departure would create leadership gaps that greenhorn lawmakers may struggle to fill immediately, potentially affecting cohesion and institutional efficiency.

There are indications that a National Assembly increasingly dominated by inexperienced lawmakers may find it more difficult to assert institutional independence or effectively challenge executive decisions.

This could weaken the National Assembly’s oversight role and diminish its constitutional responsibility as a check on executive authority.

Speaking on the development, the party’s spokesperson in the state, Lamir Ameen, confirmed the withdrawal of the lawmakers, saying the party had resolved to create opportunities for younger politicians to contest elective positions.

He said most of the party’s candidates for the House of Representatives seats were youths, adding that the decision was part of efforts to promote inclusiveness and encourage young people’s participation in politics.