The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of 19 candidates cleared to contest the 2027 governorship election in Taraba State, following the conclusion of party primaries and the verification of candidates’ credentials.
Agbu Kefas, who won the last election on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket before defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), will seek a second term as the APC candidate.
A former Senator, Emmanuel Bwacha, once the APC’s standard-bearer, now carries the PDP flag, while former Senator Abubakar Tutare will run for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The party switches have inverted the 2023 contest.
Kefas won that election with 257,926 votes, ahead of Muhammad Yahaya of the New Nigeria Peoples Party(NPP) who received 202,277; Bwacha finished third with 142,502.
Yahaya is now the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), returning a familiar challenger to the ballot.
The INEC list includes candidates from 19 parties, among them the Labour Party, Social Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance and New Nigeria Peoples Party.
The commission said the document records each candidate’s running mate, age, gender and educational qualifications.
Kefas enters the race defending a record in a state where voters and opposition politicians are focused on infrastructure, agriculture, jobs, education, health care, security and public finances.
Bwacha has criticized the administration over infrastructure, economic management and transparency—claims that will likely be tested against budgets, project records, audited accounts and service-delivery evidence.
For the opposition, the task is to move beyond endorsements and campaign pledges by explaining how proposed programs would be financed and executed.
The crowded field also raises the possibility that the vote could fragment among several well-known contenders.
INEC has scheduled governorship elections for February 6, 2027, in 28 states.
The publication of Taraba’s final candidate list gives voters an official reference point as campaigns begin to take shape.
