By Emmanuella Opara | October 13th 2026
KEY POINTS
- -Two candidates appear under both the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the final list for the 2027 Edo House of Assembly election.
- -INEC’s Edo Public Relations Officer, Toyin Buoro, says the discrepancies have been referred to the commission’s headquarters for clarification.
- -Men account for 148 of the 164 candidates listed, while women make up only 16.
- -The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has the highest number of female candidates, with four, followed by the Action Democratic Party (ADP), with three.
MAIN STORY
The final list of candidates for the 2027 Edo State House of Assembly election contains duplicate entries for two candidates contesting under different political parties, while women account for less than 10 per cent of those listed.
An examination of the 164 entries published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) identified Ogbebor Samson Osemudiamen and Usman William Idenobe as candidates whose names appear under both the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Osemudiamen is listed under the two parties for Esan North East II constituency, while Idenobe appears under both platforms in Etsako East.
The duplicated entries have left the status of the candidates’ nominations requiring clarification. It remains unclear from the published list whether the entries resulted from an error or another nomination-related circumstance.
INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Edo, Toyin Buoro, confirmed that the commission’s state office had noticed the discrepancies. She said the matter had been brought to the attention of the appropriate officials at the commission’s headquarters, with a response still being awaited.
“Our observation too, but that was what was sent from the headquarters and we have drawn the attention of the appropriate quarters to it, awaiting their reply,” she said.
The final list identifies candidates cleared to contest across Edo State’s 24 assembly constituencies, making the accuracy of the published entries relevant to the electoral process.
Beyond the duplicated names, the list also shows a considerable gap between male and female participation in the election.
Of the 164 candidates, 148 are men, representing 90.24 per cent, while 16 are women, accounting for 9.76 per cent. The figures amount to approximately nine male candidates for every female candidate.
The Social Democratic Party has the highest number of female candidates, with four, while the Action Democratic Party has three. The Labour Party has two women on the list.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP, Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP) and APM each have one female candidate.
Among the women contesting, APC candidate Maria Edeko, 63, is seeking a second term representing Esan North East II. The PDP’s Uyigue Efosa, 61, is contesting in Ovia North East I, while Natasha Osawaru, 32, is the NDC candidate for Egor, where she is also seeking a second term.
The SDP’s female candidates are Kemi Akerele in Akoko Edo I, Shirley Negbedion in Esan North East I, Imuetinyan Bright in Egor and Tracy Ogiemwanye in Ikpoba-Okha.
The ADP candidates are Bukky Ayetan in Egor, Osarenkhoe Erhunmwunse in Ikpoba-Okha and Patience Edobor in Orhionmwon I.
Although women are contesting across several political parties and constituencies, their overall share of the candidates remains below 10 per cent.
THE ISSUES
The duplicated names raise concerns about the accuracy of the final candidate list and the need for clarification on the affected nominations. INEC’s response will be important in establishing the status of the two candidates’ entries.
The gender figures also highlight the limited representation of women among those seeking seats in the Edo State legislature. With only 16 women among 164 candidates, female aspirants account for less than one-tenth of the total.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“Our observation too, but that was what was sent from the headquarters and we have drawn the attention of the appropriate quarters to it, awaiting their reply,” Toyin Buoro, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in Edo, said.
WHAT’S NEXT
INEC’s state office is awaiting a response from the appropriate authorities at the commission’s headquarters regarding the duplicated entries.
BOTTOM LINE
The final list for the 2027 Edo State House of Assembly election contains duplicate entries for two candidates under the APM and PDP, while women account for just 9.76 per cent of the 164 candidates listed. Clarification from INEC headquarters is awaited on the duplicated names.
