The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 592 candidates are set to participate in the 2027 general elections in Benue State, with more than three million registered voters expected to be eligible to cast their ballots.
The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Aminu Idris, disclosed the figures on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the commission’s headquarters in Makurdi.
According to Idris, the candidates will compete for 52 elective positions across the governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
He explained that the Benue governorship contest would feature 12 candidates, while 40 candidates had been listed for the state’s three senatorial seats.
A breakdown of the senatorial nominations showed that Benue South recorded the highest number of contestants, with 15 candidates.
Benue North-West followed with 13 candidates, while Benue North-East had 12.
For the House of Representatives election, the commission registered 118 candidates seeking to represent the state’s 11 federal constituencies.
The Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency recorded the highest number of contestants, with 15 candidates competing for the seat.
Apa/Agatu and Oju/Obi federal constituencies followed with 12 candidates each.
Idris also revealed that 422 candidates would contest seats in the Benue State House of Assembly, which has undergone changes to its constituency structure.
He said the number of state constituencies had increased from 32 to 37 following court judgments ordering the restoration of five previously suppressed constituencies.
The development means voters in the affected areas will participate in elections for the restored legislative seats.
The commissioner noted that the expanded number of constituencies had contributed to the overall number of elective positions being contested in the state.
Providing an update on voter registration, Idris disclosed that Benue had 3,057,225 registered voters.
He said the voters were distributed across 276 wards and 5,102 polling units throughout the state.
The figures provide an indication of the scale of electoral preparations required for the forthcoming polls.
Idris urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to intensify their preparations ahead of the elections scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.
He stressed the importance of cooperation among political actors and relevant stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of electoral activities.
The resident electoral commissioner also reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting the elections in accordance with its responsibilities.
He assured participants at the meeting that the commission was preparing to manage the electoral process across the state’s polling units and constituencies.
With hundreds of candidates seeking public office, the forthcoming elections will involve contests at multiple levels of government, including the governorship and legislative positions.
The commission maintained that preparations were underway to facilitate voting across Benue’s 23 local government areas.
Ezeana Emmanuel
