2027: Only 443 Women Among 4,408 National Assembly Candidates

Only 443 women are among the 4,408 candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the 2027 National Assembly elections, according to the final list published by the commission.

The figure represents just over 10 per cent of the candidates contesting seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, highlighting the significant gender disparity in the race for Nigeria’s federal legislature.

The final list shows that 3,965 male candidates are contesting for the two chambers, compared with 443 female candidates.

Of the 1,195 candidates contesting the 109 Senate seats, 1,080 are male while 115 are female.

Similarly, 2,885 of the 3,213 candidates contesting the 360 House of Representatives seats are male, while 328 are female.

The figures bring the total number of National Assembly candidates to 4,408, with women accounting for approximately 10 per cent of the contestants.

The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) fielded the highest number of female candidates among the National Assembly contestants, with 11 women contesting Senate seats and 42 seeking election to the House of Representatives.

The publication of the final National Assembly candidate list comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.

According to the commission’s official timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

The Commission had earlier released the names of presidential candidates, which include incumbent 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 Nigerian 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).

Other 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).

The list also contains two female presidential candidates: Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

The final presidential list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, means 18 political parties will field candidates in the January 2027 presidential election.