About 75 familiar faces in Nigeria’s National Assembly are set to disappear from the Senate and House of Representatives when the 10th National Assembly winds down on June 13, 2027, barring last-minute legal changes.
The development follows the release by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the final list of candidates for the January 16, 2027 National Assembly elections.
The list shows that 52 serving senators and 23 members of the House of Representatives are not contesting their current seats, meaning they are expected to leave unless withdrawals, substitutions or other legally permitted changes alter the situation before the polls.
Why So Many Lawmakers Are Leaving
The affected lawmakers are exiting for different reasons, including defeats at party primaries, successful appeals against primary outcomes, voluntary withdrawal from the race, political realignments, and decisions to seek other elective offices.
In several states, sitting governors have emerged as major beneficiaries of the scramble for senatorial tickets, displacing serving lawmakers.
Notable exits from the Senate include:
| Senator/Former Official | State/District | Reason For Exit |
|---|---|---|
| Gbenga Daniel (former governor) | Ogun East | Displaced by Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s senatorial bid |
| Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Appropriations Committee Chairman) | Ogun | Secured APC governorship ticket instead |
| Aliyu Wadada (Public Accounts Committee Chairman) | Nasarawa | Shifted focus to governorship bid |
| Osita Izunaso (Capital Market Committee Chairman) | Imo West | Displaced by Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s senatorial bid |
| Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (former governor) | Sokoto | Withdrew for a younger ADC aspirant under a power-sharing deal |
| Musa Mustapha | Yobe East | Stepped aside for Gov. Mai Mala Buni, who ran unopposed |
Similar governor-versus-incumbent contests played out in Yobe, Gombe and other states, where sitting governors moved into senatorial races and secured tickets previously held or sought by incumbent lawmakers.
House Of Representatives Hit By Major Exits
Several senior House members are also absent from the 2027 candidate list, including Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere of Edo State, who lost at the party primaries; former Deputy Majority Leader Peter Akpatason; Deputy Chief Whip Isiaka Adegboyega; and Nicholas Mutu of Delta State, the House’s longest-serving member since 1999.
Others exiting include Minority Leader Fredrick Agbedi (Bayelsa), Minority Whip Mansur Manu Soro (Bauchi), Deputy Minority Leader Abdussamad Dasuki (Sokoto), Chris Nkwonta (Abia), Kobis Ari Thimnu (Adamawa), Obiageli Orogbu (Anambra), Marie Ebikake (Bayelsa) and Zainab Gimba (Borno).
Also affected are Deputy Appropriations Committee Chairman Iduma Igariwey (Ebonyi), Ngozi Okolie (Delta), Matthew Nwogu (Imo), Women Affairs Committee Chairman Kafilat Ogbara (Lagos), Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi (Nasarawa), Daniel Asama Ago and Alfred Iliya Ajang (both Plateau), Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Rivers), and former minister Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe).
A Narrow Legal Window For Some To Return
Despite their absence from the final list, the political future of some affected lawmakers is not entirely sealed.
Provisions in the Electoral Act 2026 governing withdrawal and substitution of candidates could offer a limited path back into the race, subject to strict conditions.
Section 31 of the Act allows a candidate to withdraw by submitting a written notice and sworn affidavit personally to the political party that nominated them; the party must then forward that notice to INEC no later than 90 days before the election.
Section 33, covering substitution, bars a political party from changing a nominated candidate except in specific circumstances such as death or lawful withdrawal.
Together, these provisions create only a narrow, time-limited route for a vacated ticket to be filled through substitution, contingent on meeting all statutory deadlines.
Section 32(1) also requires INEC to publish the full names and addresses of all duly nominated candidates 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 to make legally permitted changes before those deadlines expire, though any alteration to the current list would depend entirely on lawful withdrawals, substitutions and compliance with the Electoral Act.
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