The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed 151 candidates for the 14 House of Representatives constituencies in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general election, with the Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency attracting 12 candidates. The constituency’s contest features the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Anthony Adebayo Adepoju, who is seeking re-election for a second term, alongside former federal lawmaker Hon. Muraina Saubana Ajibola, who is returning to the race for the sixth time. The candidate figures and party affiliations are contained in the INEC list shown in the document. 

The election is scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, when voters across Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North will elect their representative in the House of Representatives alongside other National Assembly members and the President. The Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North race is expected to attract considerable attention given the caliber of individuals jostling for the seat. 

Adepoju, the incumbent lawmaker and candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), is seeking a second term in the House. He was first elected in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeating the then incumbent, Muraina Saubana Ajibola. He subsequently moved to the APM and secured the party’s ticket for the 2027 election. His re-election bid therefore puts his current tenure and record of representation directly on the ballot as he seeks another four-year mandate from the people of the constituency.
Also returning to the contest is Hon. Muraina Saubana Ajibola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is seeking the seat for the sixth time since 2007. Hon. Muraina left the APC for the PDP in July having failed to secure the ticket of the APC in the party’s primaries held across the country in May this year. His electoral history spans the 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 and now 2027 elections. Of those five previous contests, Muraina emerged victorious three times, in 2007, 2011 and 2019. His return to the 2027 contest makes Muraina Saubana Ajibola the longest-serving candidate on the ballot in Ibarapa Land, having contested the Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency seat in every election cycle since 2007.

The remaining candidates are new entrants, including business mogul Hon. Olaoniye Sarafa Olaito, who is a former Executive Chairman and Caretaker Chairman in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State, contesting under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

According to the INEC lists obtained by Peoples Conscience, the new entrants are: Afolabi Abiodun Segun of the Accord Party (A); Yusuf Mujidat of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Sarafa Ife Olayemi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Olaoniye Sarafa Olaito of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Samuel Olatunji of the Labour Party (LP); Ademola Adeagbo of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Adeogun Kunle Mutairu of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC); Osho Amos of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP); Agbolade Balogun of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Gabriel Timileyin Micheal of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

With 12 candidates across 12 political parties, Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North North contest presents a broad field cutting across Nigeria’s major political parties and several smaller platforms. The INEC list also records the candidates’ basic particulars, including age, gender and educational qualifications, as submitted to the Commission. The race consequently brings together the incumbent seeking continuity, a three-term former representative seeking a return and ten other candidates looking to make their mark in the federal constituency.

The 12 candidates for Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency are:
1. Afolabi Abiodun Segun - Accord (A)
2. Yusuf Mujidat - Action Democratic Party (ADP)
3. Sarafa Ife Olayemi - African Democratic Congress (ADC)
4. Olaoniye Sarafa Olaito - All Progressives Congress (APC)
5. Anthony Adebayo Adepoju - Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
6. Samuel Olatunji - Labour Party (LP)
7. Ademola Adeagbo - New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)
8. Adeogun Kunle Mutairu - Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
9. Muraina Saubana Ajibola - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
10. Osho Amos - People’s Redemption Party (PRP)
11. Agbolade Balogun - Social Democratic Party (SDP)
12. Gabriel Timileyin Micheal - Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).