By Divine Sam.
No fewer than 592 candidates are expected to contest 52 elective positions in Benue State during the 2027 general elections, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The commission also disclosed 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, Aminu Idris, made this known on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at INEC’s state collation centre in Makurdi. The meeting brought together representatives of political parties, civil society organisations and the media to discuss preparations for the forthcoming polls.
Idris announced that the presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections were scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Providing a breakdown of the contest, the REC said 40 candidates would compete for Benue’s three senatorial seats, with 12 candidates in Benue North-East, 13 in Benue North-West and 15 in Benue South.
He added that 118 candidates were seeking election to the 11 House of Representatives seats in the state. Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency recorded the highest number, with 15 candidates.
The Benue State House of Assembly election is also expected to attract considerable competition, with 422 candidates contesting 37 seats.
According to Idris, 18 political parties are participating in the presidential race, while 12 parties have nominated candidates for the governorship election. At the national level, he said 18 of the 22 registered political parties submitted presidential nominations, while 21 parties presented candidates for the governorship and legislative elections.
The REC explained that INEC had published the final lists of candidates in line with Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The list for the presidential and National Assembly elections was released on September 12, while that for the governorship and state assembly polls was published on October 10, 2026.
He urged political parties to begin training their polling agents ahead of the elections, particularly on the procedures for uploading and deploying them to polling units and collation centres.
Idris also announced that Benue’s State Assembly constituencies had increased from 32 to 37 following court judgments restoring 27 constituencies across Benue, Delta, Jigawa and Kogi states.
The five restored constituencies in Benue are 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.
On election preparations, the REC disclosed that INEC had started distributing non-sensitive election materials to its state and area council offices. He added that the commission had completed an inventory of its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.
According to him, 5,381 BVAS devices were physically inspected, with 5,277, representing 98 per cent, confirmed to be functional and ready for deployment. The commission had notified its national headquarters about faulty devices for replacement.
Idris further said the display of the voter register for claims and objections took place across Benue’s 23 local government areas from October 9 to 15, generating 1,052 submissions, including 947 claims and 105 objections.
During the same period, 58,581 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were collected across the state. The figure comprised 9,139 old PVCs, 28,854 cards issued through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, 12,707 transferred cards and 7,881 replacement cards.
He added that Benue had received 101,695 PVCs from INEC headquarters under the first phase of the voter registration and transfer exercise. These included 54,724 newly issued cards and 46,971 cards belonging to transferred voters.
The REC said previously issued PVCs remained available for collection at INEC offices across the 23 local government areas, while further information would be provided on cards from the second and third phases of the exercise.
He also disclosed that the portal for civil society organisations seeking accreditation to observe the 2027 elections closed on October 26. Organisations intending to deploy observers were advised to work with their national headquarters to ensure their personnel were uploaded, accredited and provided with the necessary identification cards and tags before election day.
Idris called on political parties, civil society groups and other stakeholders to support efforts towards peaceful, free, fair, credible and inclusive elections across Benue State.
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