Just 123 women are among the 1,303 candidates seeking election to Nigeria’s 109 senatorial seats in the 2027 general elections, according to the final list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Men dominate the field with 1,180 aspirants, underscoring the continued underrepresentation of women in the race for the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The list features a mix of serving lawmakers, former political office holders and first-time contenders running on platforms that include the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), among others.
Prominent female names include Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the PDP candidate for Kogi Central; Ireti Kingibe of the ADC, who is contesting the Federal Capital Territory seat; former lawmaker Nkechi Nwaogu, flying the NDC flag in Abia Central; and Idiat Oluranti Adebule, the APC candidate for Lagos West and a former Lagos deputy governor.
Other women are contesting across multiple states and the FCT, including Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, Kwara, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and several others. Their participation comes as political parties intensify preparations for campaigns and mobilisation that will shape the composition of the Senate in the 10th National Assembly.
While the presence of these candidates signals ongoing efforts by women to break into Nigeria’s legislative politics, the sharp disparity in numbers—women accounting for less than 10 per cent of the total field—highlights the challenges that remain in achieving greater gender balance in elective offices.