The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 592 candidates will contest 52 elective positions in Benue State during the 2027 general elections. A total of 3,057,225 registered voters are expected to vote across 5,102 polling units. This information was disclosed by Benue Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Aminu Idris, during a stakeholders' meeting at the commission's state collation centre in Makurdi.
The meeting brought together representatives of political parties, civil society organisations, and the media to review INEC's preparations for the elections. Idris stated that the presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections were scheduled for February 6, 2027. He urged political parties and other stakeholders to support efforts to ensure peaceful, free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections across the state.
According to Idris, 18 political parties have candidates for the presidential election, while 12 parties are participating in the Benue governorship race. A total of 40 candidates will contest the state's three senatorial seats, with 12 candidates in Benue North-East, 13 in Benue North-West, and 15 in Benue South. For the House of Representatives, 118 candidates will compete for 11 seats, with Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency recording the highest number, with 15 candidates.
Idris also disclosed that 422 candidates will contest the 37 seats in the Benue State House of Assembly. The number of state constituencies increased from 32 to 37 following court judgments that restored 27 constituencies across Benue, Delta, Jigawa, and Kogi states. Five restored constituencies in Benue are Ukum II Afia, Konshisha Shange-Tiev, Gboko III Central, Makurdi III South-East, and Nyamatsor.
INEC has published the final lists of nominated candidates in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The commission released the list for the presidential and National Assembly elections on September 12, 2026, and published that for the governorship and state assembly elections on October 10, 2026. Idris urged political parties to begin training their polling agents, particularly on the procedures for uploading and deploying agents to polling units and collation centres.
On electoral preparations, the REC disclosed that INEC had started distributing non-sensitive election materials to its state and area council offices. The commission had also completed an inventory of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices ahead of the elections. A total of 5,381 BVAS devices were inspected, of which 5,277, representing 98 per cent, were confirmed functional and ready for deployment.
Idris further disclosed that INEC displayed the voter register for claims and objections across Benue's 23 local government areas between October 9 and 15, 2026. The exercise generated 1,052 submissions, comprising 947 claims and 105 objections. During the same period, voters collected 58,581 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), including 9,139 old PVCs, 28,854 cards issued through the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, 12,707 transferred cards, and 7,881 replacement cards.
Key points
- 592 candidates to contest 52 elective positions in Benue State.
- INEC schedules presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.
- 3,057,225 registered voters expected to vote across 5,102 polling units.
