INEC lists 35 candidates for Taraba's three senate seats ahead of 2027
- INEC has published its final list of 35 candidates for Taraba's three senatorial districts.
- Taraba Central has the most contenders with 14, while Taraba North has 11 and Taraba South 10.
- The APC holds all three seats after Governor Agbu Kefas and two senators defected from the PDP.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published its final list of 35 candidates for Taraba State's three senatorial seats, ahead of the National Assembly election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, sets up contests in Taraba North, Taraba Central and Taraba South. Only three of the 35 candidates will make it to the Senate.
Taraba Central has the largest field with 14 candidates, Taraba North has 11 and Taraba South has 10, according to the list.
Who is running where
In Taraba South, Senator David Jimkuta of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is seeking re-election against nine others, including Adi Ashumate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ezekiel Ambo of the Labour Party and Afiniki Yarima of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Taraba Central also has an APC incumbent, Senator Haruna Manu, in the race. His challengers include Iliyasu Goje of the PDP, Yubuin Samuel of the Labour Party and Ahmad Kiyari of the Young Progressives Party, among 13 others.
In Taraba North, the APC's Shuaibu Lau faces Bubajoda Mafindi of the PDP, Mathias Dame of the Labour Party and eight other candidates.
The full list also includes candidates from the African Democratic Congress, Accord, the Allied Peoples Movement, the National Rescue Movement, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Social Democratic Party, the People's Redemption Party, the Zenith Labour Party and the African Action Congress.
Why it matters
The election comes after a major political shift in the state. Governor Agbu Kefas and two of the three serving senators left the PDP for the APC, leaving the ruling party defending all three senate seats on one platform.
For voters in Taraba, the size of the field means the senate race will be spread across many parties, and the outcome could test how much the defections have changed support on the ground.
What happens next: campaigns are expected to intensify before the January 16, 2027 National Assembly election, when Taraba voters will choose one senator for each of the three districts.
