By Atlantic Reports

A total of 241 candidates have been cleared to contest 36 elective positions in Cross River State in the 2027 general elections, with women accounting for fewer than one in five contestants.

The breakdown attributed to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final candidate lists comprises eight governorship candidates, 25 candidates for three Senate seats, 63 for eight House of Representatives seats and 145 for 24 State House of Assembly seats.

Of the 241 candidates, 198 are men and 43 are women, representing 82.2 per cent and 17.8 per cent respectively. The male percentage corrects the 82.8 per cent stated in the supplied account.

Women Remain a Minority

Calabar South State Constituency has the highest reported number of female candidates, with seven women contesting the seat.

The All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) reportedly fielded five female candidates each across the elections.

The figures highlight a substantial gender gap in the candidate field, although they do not establish how many women sought party nominations or the barriers they encountered.

Fourteen political parties are reported to be participating in the elections across the state.

However, the claim that the APC, ADC and NDC fielded candidates for every elective position conflicts with the published governorship list, which contains an APC candidate but no ADC or NDC candidates.

Candidates Span More Than Four Decades in Age

The youngest candidate identified in the supplied breakdown is 26-year-old Aboh Glady, who is seeking a State House of Assembly seat on the Action Alliance (AA) platform.

The oldest are Asuquo Asuquo and Francis Ukpanyang, both 69 and contesting on the Action Democratic Party (ADP) platform.

Asuquo is seeking the Calabar Municipal/Odukpani Federal Constituency seat, while Ukpanyang is contesting a Calabar South State Constituency seat.

Changes in the National Assembly Field

The account also points to changes among Cross River’s incumbent federal lawmakers ahead of the election.

Two of the state’s three senators reportedly secured APC tickets. In the House of Representatives, three of the eight incumbents were reported to have obtained the party’s nominations.

They are Joseph Bassey, representing Calabar South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi; Peter Akpanke, representing Obudu/Bekwarra/Obanliku; and Victor Abang, representing Ikom/Boki.

Four other House members reportedly lost their APC nomination bids: Emil Inyang of Biase/Akamkpa, Bassey Akiba of Calabar Municipal/Odukpani, Godwin Offiono of Yala/Ogoja and Mike Etaba of Obubra/Etung.

Alex Egbona, representing Yakurr/Abi, reportedly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly before the APC primaries.

Failure to obtain an APC ticket does not, by itself, establish that an incumbent will be absent from the election, since participation on another platform would depend on the final nominations.

The overall field presents voters with candidates across all four categories of elective office, while the gender breakdown shows that women remain substantially underrepresented among those seeking election.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.