Politics
INEC: 52 Senators Lose Return Ticket To 11th National Assembly
The senatorial list for the 2027 polls has formally confirmed the exit of at least 52 serving senators who have no chance of returning to the 11th National Assembly next year, according to the Nigerian Tribune.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had released the final list of candidates qualified to contest the National Assembly polls on Saturday last week.
From the list, the names of about 57 senators serving in the current 10th Assembly were submitted by their political parties after primaries and verified by INEC as qualified to contest the polls in January next year.
The remaining 52 will be exiting the Senate at the end of their term in June 2027, having been excluded from the final list released by INEC.
Findings by the Nigerian Tribune showed that some senators won’t be returning not necessarily because they failed to secure tickets but for the reason that they are aspiring for other offices, especially the governorship seat of their states.
However, the majority won’t be returning because, having lost their primaries, their efforts to secure tickets on platforms other than their original political parties also fell flat.
Sources also said some senators simply stepped down to avoid a clash with their governors, who had indicated interest to take over their seats and had gone ahead to pick the tickets.
In Ogun State, for instance, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Ademola Solomon Olamilekan, will exit the Senate, having secured the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the same state, former governor Gbenga Daniel won’t return for the Ogun-East seat because Governor Dapo Abiodun will contest the poll in Daniel’s place.
In Nasarawa, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), Senator Aliyu Wadada, is gunning for the governorship in 2027, having won the APC’s ticket.
In Imo State, the chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senator Osita Izunaso’s Imo-West ticket was ceded to Governor Hope Uzodinma, while a similar situation played out in Yobe and Gombe states, among others where sitting governors took over the Senate tickets.
As for Sokoto State, former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is among the 52 outgoing senators, won’t return because the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant stepped down for a young contestant in a power-sharing understanding of his current political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, the list also shows that in some states, all three current senators secured tickets and have hopes of returning in 2027 among the 57 on the INEC list.
In Lagos State, Senator Adetokumbo Abiru (Lagos-East); Senator Adebule Idiat Oluranti (Lagos-West); and Senator Sanni Eshilokun (Lagos-Central) have return tickets and chances of being part of the 11th Assembly.
In Ekiti, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti-Central); the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti-South); and Senator Fasuyi Cyril Oluwole (Ekiti-North) — all have return tickets.
The story is not different in the Senate President’s (Godswill Akpabio) home state, Akwa Ibom, where Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West); Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East); and Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom South) also have return tickets.
All three senators in Borno State, including Mohammed Ali Ndume, are among the 57 serving lawmakers shortlisted by INEC for the 2027 election.
According to investigations, serving senators not on the INEC list have only one final window, which is by withdrawal or replacement of the candidates on the list, depending on the option applicable in a particular case.
Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, dealing with withdrawal of candidates, states: “A candidate may withdraw his candidature by notice in writing signed by him together with a sworn affidavit delivered personally by the candidate to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal and the sworn affidavit to the Commission not later than 90 days to the election.”
The related provision on replacement is Section 33, which provides:
“A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate…”
Thus, the 90-day rule in Section 31 concerns the deadline for transmitting a candidate’s withdrawal and sworn affidavit to INEC. Section 33 then permits substitution only where the candidate has died or withdrawn, subject to the conditions that follow in that section.
The Act separately requires INEC to publish the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated at least 60 days before election day under Section 32(1).
The Presidential and National Assembly polls will be held on January 16, 2027, an indication that political parties still have over 120 days within which they may make changes.
Nigerian journalist, Seun Okinbaloye, has raised alarm that the 2027 general election is being rigged through the voters’ register.
Naija News reports that Okinbaloye raised the alarm on Friday during Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
Okinbaloye said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must act now and clean up the voters’ register.
He said that intelligence and early signs show that politicians have started manipulating the voters’ register, with cases of underage registration, double registration, and ghost voters already surfacing across the country.
He further called on INEC to immediately commence a thorough audit and clean-up of the voters’ register to remove fake names, dead voters, and underage voters.
Okinbaloye said Nigerians must not wait till election day to cry rigging, because the foundation for rigging is already being laid through a compromised register.
He said, “The 2027 election is already being rigged right now. Not on election day. It is being rigged with the voters’ register. If INEC does not clean it up now, we are wasting our time.
“If the register is dirty, the election is dirty. INEC must act now.”
Meanwhile, African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on INEC to disclose the names of the officials responsible for including Artificial Intelligence (AI)- generated photographs in the voter register.
Atiku made the call in a statement by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu.
He accused the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration of enabling the crisis by allowing INEC to evade scrutiny.
The former vice president said the AI-generated images scandal strikes at the heart of the commission’s credibility.
He called on opposition leaders and the international community to demand an independent audit, full disclosure and accountability on the voter register scandal.
Joseph Danjuma has resigned his membership and position as Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Nasarawa State, with immediate effect.
In his October 27, 2026 letter to the NDC state chairman, Danjuma said he lacked opportunities to perform his duties as spokesperson.
Danjuma also joined the campaign of former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, who is seeking the Nasarawa governorship under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Nasarawa State, Joseph Danjuma has resigned from the party.
He also declared support for the governorship ambition of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu.
Daily Voice reports that Danjuma announced his resignation in a letter dated Tuesday, October 27, 2026, addressed to the state chairman of the NDC.
He explained that his decision followed his inability to carry out his responsibilities effectively as the party’s spokesperson in the state.
He also announced his decision to join the campaign of Adamu, who is seeking to become the next governor of Nasarawa State under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Danjuma explained that his decision to support the former police chief was based on his assessment of Adamu’s leadership qualities.
He wrote in the letter: “I wish to humbly resign my membership and position as the Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Nasarawa State Chapter, with immediate effect.
“My decision follows the lack of opportunity to perform my role as the spokesperson of the party in the state.
“With this development, I hereby fully join the campaign train of Ex-IGP Adamu. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.”
Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has backed the re-election of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He expressed his support after joining the Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation (TMS), popularly known as the “Tinubu Must Stay” movement, to promote the president’s re-election agenda.
Olujonwo said his decision to join the movement was informed by his longstanding association with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his belief in the need to sustain the policies and reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration.
He was formally received by the leadership of TMS at a forum in Abuja, where he expressed support for the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and called for increased public awareness of its policies and achievements.
Olujonwo, who serves as president of the Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO) and Project One Nigeria, as well as Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor on Housing, said he had been associated with the APC since 2014.
Explaining his political background, he said he was familiar with the party’s formation and its relationship with key political figures, including his father, former President Obasanjo, the late President Muhammadu Buhari and President Tinubu.
“I have been in the APC since 2014. I was there when my father hosted the late President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to form the movement. I am not new to the party,” he said.APC party merchandise
He argued that some of the policies and achievements of the Tinubu administration were not being adequately communicated to Nigerians, adding that misinformation had contributed to negative perceptions of the government.
Olujonwo cited developments in the education sector, infrastructure and access to student loans as areas he believed deserved greater public attention.
“There is a lot of noise out there, and people are distorting what is going on. ASUU has had no strikes. Students have access to loans. Nigeria has become a massive construction site and an investors’ haven again. These are things we need to promote,” he said.
His decision to join the movement comes as political parties and their supporters begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general election, in which Tinubu is expected to seek another presidential term.
The move also places the son of the former president within a political platform established to defend the current administration’s policies and encourage public support for continuity in governance.
Welcoming Olujonwo to the movement, the National Coordinator of TMS and Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said his background gave him an understanding of the importance of economic reforms.
Inuwa drew a comparison between the economic reforms introduced during Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and those being pursued by Tinubu, arguing that both periods involved policies intended to reshape Nigeria’s economy.
He cited telecommunications liberalisation and banking reforms under the elder Obasanjo as measures that helped establish the foundation for subsequent economic development.
“You grew up in a family that led the second wave of reforms in Nigeria. Telecommunications liberalisation, banking reforms—these laid a solid foundation. Being raised in that family, you understand what reforms mean,” Inuwa said.
He urged Nigerians to consider the long-term implications of government policies, warning that reversing ongoing reforms could undermine investor confidence and disrupt economic progress.
According to him, maintaining policy consistency would be important for attracting investment and sustaining developments in key sectors of the economy.
“We are building investors’ confidence. The naira is becoming strong. Our stock exchange is one of the fastest-growing. The Dangote Refinery is a game changer. If we start reversing these policies, we’ll go back to where we were,” Inuwa added.
Also speaking at the event, Marcel Ngogbehei, Director-General of TMS and a former coordinator of the Obidient Movement, praised the economic policies implemented during Obasanjo’s presidency.
Ngogbehei highlighted the former president’s role in securing debt relief for Nigeria and supporting the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, describing those measures as important contributions to the country’s economic development.
He said TMS intended to promote discussions about government policies through evidence, research and public engagement rather than propaganda.
“We’re happy you have decided to take this step. Your father was one of those who revolutionised this country. The debt was paid off, and major innovations were introduced in liberalising the economy. This is not about propaganda. We will engage respectfully, factually and transparently,” Ngogbehei said.
The organisation said it had established structures across the country, including a Board of Trustees, national coordinators and specialised directorates, to support its activities.
It also plans to use digital platforms, virtual town hall meetings, policy research and fact-checking initiatives to promote the government’s policies and address what it considers misinformation about the administration.
Following Olujonwo’s reception, TMS announced plans to expand its engagement with professional associations, youth organisations and community groups across the country.
The planned activities are intended to increase public participation in governance and communicate the administration’s policies to Nigerians across different states and geopolitical zones.
Meanwhile, Olusegun Obasanjo has previously expressed concerns about Nigeria’s economic challenges, arguing that the country has sufficient natural and human resources to become prosperous.
In an interview on C-Suite Cafe, hosted by Ikem Okuhu, the former president questioned why Nigeria continued to struggle with poverty despite its agricultural potential, vast land, water resources and large population.Buy Maps
“Give me one reason why Nigeria should be poor. Is it the land that we don’t have or the desert that we are in or the people that we don’t have or the water that we don’t have or the rain that we don’t have?” he asked.
Obasanjo also criticised policies that encourage the importation of goods that could be produced locally, arguing that such practices discourage domestic farmers and undermine local production.
He recalled how restrictions on rice imports were introduced in 1979 to encourage domestic production, claiming that subsequent administrations reversed the policy and allowed imported rice to compete with locally produced varieties.
“When our successors came, one of the first things they did was to lift importation of rice, not to encourage production of rice but to encourage importation of rice, and the farmers couldn’t sell their own rice,” he said.
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