By Jude Opara
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 592 candidates will contest 52 elective positions in Benue State during the 2027 general elections.
The commission also announced that 3,057,225 registered voters are expected to participate in the elections across 5,102 polling units in the state.
Benue Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Aminu Idris, disclosed this on Wednesday during an INEC stakeholders’ meeting at the commission’s state collation centre in Makurdi.
The meeting was attended by representatives of political parties, civil society organisations and the media, who received updates on preparations for the forthcoming elections.
Idris announced 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, security agencies, civil society groups and other stakeholders to support efforts to ensure peaceful, free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
Providing a breakdown of the candidates, the REC said 18 political parties were participating in the presidential race, while 12 had candidates for the governorship election in Benue State.
He disclosed that 40 candidates would contest the three senatorial seats, comprising 12 candidates for Benue North-East (Zone A), 13 for Benue North-West (Zone B) and 15 for Benue South (Zone C).
For the 11 House of Representatives seats, 118 candidates are in the race, with Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency recording the highest number of 15 candidates.
Idris added that 422 candidates would contest the 37 seats in the Benue State House of Assembly.
At the national level, he said 18 of the 22 registered political parties had submitted nominations for the presidential election, while 21 parties presented candidates for governorship and legislative elections.
The REC further stated that INEC had published the final lists of nominated candidates in accordance with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
According to him, the list for the presidential and National Assembly elections was published on September 12, 2026, while that for the governorship and State Assembly elections was released on October 10, 2026.
On the restoration of state constituencies, Idris explained that the number of constituencies in the Benue State House of Assembly had increased from 32 to 37 following court judgments restoring 27 constituencies across Benue, Delta, Jigawa and Kogi states.
He identified the five restored constituencies in Benue as Ukum II (Afia) in Ukum Local Government Area; Konshisha (Shange-Tiev) in Konshisha; Gboko III (Central) in Gboko; Makurdi III (South-East) in Makurdi; and Nyamatsor in Buruku.
The REC also urged political parties to begin training their polling agents ahead of the elections, particularly on procedures for uploading and deploying agents to polling units and collation centres.
On electoral logistics, Idris disclosed that the commission had commenced the distribution of non-sensitive election materials to its state and area council offices.
He added that INEC had completed an inventory of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices in preparation for the polls.
According to him, 5,381 BVAS devices were physically inspected, with 5,277, representing approximately 98 per cent, confirmed to be functional and ready for deployment.
He said the commission had notified its national headquarters of the faulty devices for necessary replacements.
The REC further disclosed that the display of the voter register for claims and objections was conducted across the state’s 23 local government areas from October 9 to 15, 2026.
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