According to INEC’s final candidate list released on Saturday, the ruling All Progressives Congress will contest all 469 seats. Its two biggest challengers, the Nigeria Democratic Congress and the African Democratic Congress, are walking into the fight with visible holes in their armor.
The Gaps That Shook The Opposition
The NDC, the platform backing Peter Obi for president, could not present candidates in 10 senatorial districts and 33 House of Representatives seats. That leaves it with candidates in 426 of 469 National Assembly positions, about 91 percent coverage.
The missing senatorial zones cut across Bauchi’s three districts, Benue Northeast, Ekiti South, Jigawa Northeast, Kaduna South, Katsina Central, and both Yobe East and Yobe North. In the House, 16 states are affected, with Katsina alone accounting for eight vacant tickets and Kebbi five.
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ADC fared slightly better but still left 14 seats open, one Senate seat in Delta South and 13 House seats, including six in Kano and key constituencies in Lagos, Bayelsa, Edo, Niger and Zamfara.
The Allied Peoples Movement is even thinner on ground, with no candidates in 47 House seats and five Senate seats across 18 states.
APC Stands Alone At The Finish Line
While opposition parties scrambled, APC filed candidates in all 109 senatorial districts and all 360 federal constituencies. PDP also showed up in most places, fielding three senatorial candidates in 30 states.
NNPP, meanwhile, voluntarily stepped down its presidential ticket. National Chairman Agbo Major said the move was strategic ahead of a possible alliance, to avoid “distorting the ballot.”
Women Still Fighting For Space
Of the 4,864 candidates for federal parliament, only 462 are women. INEC’s breakdown shows 121 women running for Senate and 341 for the House, against 4,402 men.
Lagos leads with 31 women House hopefuls, followed by Imo with 21 and Anambra with 20. Despite years of advocacy, female representation remains under 10 percent of the total field.
As campaigns kick off, one thing is clear. The ruling party will be on every ballot. The opposition will have to explain the empty spaces.
