Serving governors have emerged as the biggest winners in the scramble for senatorial tickets ahead of the 2027 elections, displacing sitting lawmakers in a wave of political maneuvering that has left dozens of incumbents out in the cold.
According to the final candidates’ list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), no fewer than 75 serving members of the 10th National Assembly are set to leave the Senate and House of Representatives when the current assembly expires on June 13, 2027, having failed to make the list of candidates for the January 16, 2027 National Assembly elections. Of that number, 52 are serving senators and 23 are members of the House of Representatives.
While the lawmakers’ absence from the race stems from a mix of reasons — defeat at party primaries, successful appeals leading to replacement, voluntary withdrawal, political realignment, and moves to contest other offices — a clear pattern stands out: state governors increasingly elbowing their own senators aside to grab tickets for themselves.
Governors on the March
In several states, serving governors have emerged as major beneficiaries of the battle for senatorial tickets, displacing incumbent lawmakers in the process.
In Ogun State, former governor Gbenga Daniel will not return to the Senate to represent Ogun East after Governor Dapo Abiodun emerged as the candidate for the seat, while Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, will not seek another term after securing the APC governorship ticket in the state.
In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma secured the APC senatorial ticket for Imo West, a seat previously held by Senator Osita Izunaso, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market, effectively halting Izunaso’s bid to return to the Senate.
Nasarawa State has seen a comparable shift, with Senator Aliyu Wadada, former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, redirecting his ambitions toward the governorship after clinching the APC ticket for 2027. Similar governor-driven movements have reportedly played out in Yobe and Gombe states, among others, where sitting governors entered senatorial contests and won tickets previously tied to incumbent lawmakers.
In Yobe State specifically, Senator Musa Mustapha, representing Yobe East, stepped down from the race to clear the way for Governor Mai Mala Buni to emerge unopposed as the APC senatorial candidate.
Not every departure was a governor’s doing, however. Former Sokoto State Governor and Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is also exiting the Senate under the current arrangement, having stepped aside to make way for a younger aspirant as part of a power-sharing deal within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A Bruising Season for the House
The House of Representatives has also suffered significant losses from its leadership ranks, with Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere of Edo State losing at the primaries, alongside former Deputy Majority Leader Peter Akpatason, Deputy Chief Whip Isiaka Adegboyega of Ogun State, and Nicholas Mutu of Delta State, the House’s longest-serving member since 1999. Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi of Bayelsa, Minority Whip Mansur Manu Soro of Bauchi, Deputy Minority Leader Abdussamad Dasuki of Sokoto, and several other principal officers are also absent from the list.
Door Not Fully Shut
The story is not entirely over for the affected lawmakers. Provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing withdrawal and substitution could still open a narrow legal window for changes, with Section 31 allowing a candidate to withdraw via written notice and sworn affidavit submitted to their party. Section 33 permits substitution only in cases of death or lawful withdrawal, under conditions prescribed by law — leaving room, however slim, for a reshuffling of the field before the January 16, 2027 polls.
