The 2027 general elections are set to trigger a major reshuffling of Nigeria’s Senate, with at least 52 serving senators effectively ruled out of the 11th National Assembly by the final list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The development has turned the 2027 senatorial contests into a battle not only for party tickets but also for political succession, as some governors have moved to secure Senate seats for themselves, while other serving lawmakers have abandoned the upper chamber to pursue governorship ambitions.
The final list showed that only about 57 of the 109 serving senators secured tickets to contest the January 16, 2027 National Assembly election, leaving the remaining 52 facing the end of their tenure when the 10th Assembly winds down in June next year.
Findings by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that the exits were driven by different political calculations. While some senators lost their party primaries and subsequently failed to secure alternative platforms, others voluntarily stepped aside to pursue governorship contests or accommodate powerful political interests within their states.
One of the clearest examples is Ogun State, where Senator Ademola Solomon Olamilekan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, will leave the chamber after securing the APC governorship ticket. Former governor Gbenga Daniel is also set to exit the Senate as Governor Dapo Abiodun takes over the Ogun-East senatorial ticket.
The same political realignment is evident in Nasarawa, where former Senate Public Accounts Committee chairman, Senator Aliyu Wadada, is pursuing the governorship on the APC platform. In Imo, Senator Osita Izunaso will not return for Imo-West after the ticket was ceded to Governor Hope Uzodinma, with similar arrangements reported in Yobe, Gombe and other states.
In Sokoto, former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is also among the senators facing exit, following his decision to step aside for a younger candidate under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), according to findings. The pattern suggests that age, political succession and negotiations within parties are becoming as influential as primary election victories in determining the composition of the next Senate.
Yet, the political turnover will not be uniform across the country. In Lagos, all three incumbent senators—Adetokumbo Abiru, Adebule Idiat Oluranti and Sanni Eshilokun—secured return tickets, while Ekiti’s Opeyemi Bamidele, Yemi Adaramodu and Fasuyi Cyril Oluwole also remain in contention. Akwa Ibom presents a similar picture, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Aniekan Bassey and Ekong Sampson all securing tickets, while the three serving senators from Borno, including Mohammed Ali Ndume, are also on the INEC list.
Despite the publication of the final list, the door has not completely closed on the affected lawmakers. Under Sections 31 and 33 of the Electoral Act 2026, a candidate may withdraw within the stipulated period, while substitution is permitted in cases of death or withdrawal, subject to the law’s conditions. With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, political parties still have time to make legally permissible changes before the relevant statutory deadlines.
