The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of 164 candidates contesting the 24 constituencies in the Edo State House of Assembly election scheduled for 2027, with questions emerging over duplicate names, inconsistent gender entries and missing educational qualifications.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, features candidates from 14 political parties seeking seats in the state legislature.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have fielded candidates in all 24 constituencies, while the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has 23 candidates.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 16 candidates, while the Labour Party (LP) is fielding 11.
Other parties have fewer candidates, with the Action Peoples Party (APP) presenting five, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) four, the Young Progressives Party (YPP) three, and the National Democratic Party (NDP) and African Action Congress (AAC) two each. The Action Alliance (AA) and National Rescue Movement (NRM) have one candidate apiece.
The race is particularly crowded in Etsako West I, Egor, Igueben, Orhionmwon I and Ovia South West, where nine candidates are listed in each constituency.
Ovia North East II has the fewest contenders, with four candidates representing the ADC, APC, NDC and SDP.
The distribution points to intense competition in several constituencies as political parties position themselves for the 2027 legislative election.
The list reveals a significant gender imbalance, with only 16 women among the 164 candidates, representing approximately 9.8 per cent.
The female candidates are contesting in 10 of the state’s 24 constituencies.
The SDP has the highest number of female candidates, with four, followed by the ADP with three.
The figures highlight the limited representation of women in the contest for seats in the Edo State House of Assembly.
The candidates’ ages range from 26 to 66, with an average age of approximately 44.
Idriss Idriss A of the SDP, contesting Etsako West II, is listed as the youngest candidate, while Nosakhare Igbinedion of the APP, contesting Orhionmwon II, is the oldest.
A total of 29 candidates are aged 35 or below, indicating the presence of younger aspirants in the race.
The published list contains five instances in which candidates appear under both the APM and PDP in the same constituency, raising questions requiring clarification from the electoral commission.
The entries are:
– Ogbebor Samson Osemudiamen — Esan North East II.
– Uadiale Moses — Esan North East I.
– Usman William(s) Idenobe — Etsako East.
– Akahome Harrison — Igueben.
– Adenomo Omosede — Ovia South West.
All five names appear against both the APM and PDP, according to the list.
The entry for Adenomo Omosede presents an additional discrepancy, as the candidate is listed as female under the APM and male under the PDP.
It remains unclear whether the repeated entries resulted from clerical errors, a problem with the published data or another issue requiring administrative clarification.
INEC had not commented on the discrepancies at the time of this report.
The list also leaves the educational qualifications of 34 candidates unspecified.
Other entries contain inconsistent abbreviations for the First School Leaving Certificate, including “FSLC”, “FLSC” and “FSLS”.
It is not clear whether these variations are typographical errors or reflect other problems in the published records.
The discrepancies are likely to attract attention as parties and voters scrutinise the candidates cleared to contest the 2027 election.
INEC’s clarification of the duplicate entries, gender inconsistencies and missing qualifications would help establish the accuracy of the published list and address questions arising from the document.
With 164 candidates listed across 24 constituencies, the race for the Edo State House of Assembly is taking shape, but the reported discrepancies leave important questions awaiting answers from the electoral umpire.
See Final list below:
FINAL LIST – EDO STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
