2027: 52 Serving Senators Set To Exit Senate As INEC Releases Final List
At least 52 serving senators in the 10th National Assembly are set to leave the Senate at the end of their tenure in June 2027, following their exclusion from the final list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for next year’s National Assembly elections.
INEC released the final list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections last week, with about 57 members of the current Senate making the list after securing the tickets of their respective political parties and being cleared by the electoral commission.
Findings showed that the 52 senators left off the list will not return to the 11th National Assembly for different reasons. While some are seeking other elective positions, particularly governorship seats, others lost their party primaries and were unable to secure tickets on the platforms of other political parties.
In some cases, senators reportedly stepped aside to avoid political clashes with their state governors, some of whom had indicated interest in taking over their senatorial seats and subsequently secured the party tickets.
In Ogun State, for instance, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, is set to leave the Senate after securing the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket.
Also in Ogun, former governor Gbenga Daniel will not return to the Senate for Ogun East, following Governor Dapo Abiodun’s decision to contest the senatorial election in his place.
In Nasarawa State, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, is also seeking the governorship after securing the APC ticket.
A similar situation occurred in Imo State, where the Imo West senatorial ticket previously held by Senator Osita Izunaso was ceded to Governor Hope Uzodinma. Similar developments were recorded in Yobe and Gombe states, among others, where serving governors took over senatorial tickets.
In Sokoto State, former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is among the outgoing senators, will also not return after stepping aside for a younger aspirant under an arrangement within his current party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, the INEC list also shows that some states will retain all their current senators in the next Senate if they win their elections.
In Lagos State, Senators Adetokunbo Abiru, Lagos East; Adebule Idiat Oluranti, Lagos West; and Sanni Eshilokun, Lagos Central, secured tickets to contest the 2027 elections.
The same applies in Ekiti State, where Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Ekiti Central; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, Ekiti South; and Senator Cyril Oluwole Fasuyi, Ekiti North, all secured return tickets.
In Akwa Ibom, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, representing Akwa Ibom North-West; Senator Aniekan Bassey, Akwa Ibom North-East; and Senator Ekong Sampson, Akwa Ibom South, also secured tickets for the 2027 election.
Similarly, all three serving senators from Borno State, including Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, are among the 57 lawmakers whose names appeared on the INEC list.
However, senators excluded from the list may still have a limited opportunity to return to the race through the withdrawal or replacement of candidates, where applicable.
Under Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate may withdraw from an election by submitting a written notice and sworn affidavit to the political party that nominated them, which must then convey the documents to INEC not later than 90 days before the election.
Section 33 of the Act provides that a political party cannot change or substitute a candidate whose name has been submitted to INEC, except in cases involving the death or withdrawal of the candidate, subject to the conditions stipulated by the law.
The law also requires INEC to publish the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated at least 60 days before election day.
With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, political parties still have a window within which changes arising from withdrawals or other circumstances permitted by law may be made.