The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially released the final list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections in Kwara State. This announcement, made public on INEC's website, highlights significant political realignments, particularly the inclusion of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Senator Saliu Mustapha vying for the Kwara Central senatorial seat, alongside Kolo Baba Jiya representing Kwara North.

The list details candidates from 13 political parties contesting for the Kwara Central seat, while 11 candidates are set to compete in both the Kwara North and Kwara South districts. Notably, the political landscape has been marked by Mustapha's recent defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following his unsuccessful bid for the APC governorship ticket.

Senator Mustapha, who previously held the senatorial seat, is now campaigning under the PDP banner against Governor AbdulRazaq, who is seeking a Senate seat as his tenure as governor nears its conclusion. Mustapha's switch to the PDP was facilitated through a substitution process, allowing him to secure the party's nomination after losing the APC primary to Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

In explaining his departure from the APC, Mustapha expressed concerns over the party's leadership in Kwara, stating that it had strayed from the foundational principles of internal democracy and collective participation. He emphasized that his decision to join the PDP was not solely personal but part of a broader coalition involving various political groups.

In the Kwara North district, Kolo Baba Jiya has been named the PDP candidate, despite facing a legal challenge from former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu. Iliasu is contesting the legitimacy of Jiya's nomination, claiming he was the rightful winner of the PDP senatorial primary held on May 20, 2026. He alleges that the party unlawfully substituted his name with Jiya's without his consent. The case, currently before the Federal High Court in Ilorin, has not yet reached a conclusion, and the court has permitted substituted service of documents to Jiya as part of the proceedings.

The candidates for the various senatorial districts are as follows:

In Kwara Central:
- AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (APC)
- Saliu Mustapha (PDP)
- Musa Aliyu (Accord)
- Adesola Kehinde (Action Alliance)
- Gani Omolabi (Action Democratic Party)
- Gbadesogun Olufemi Adeleke (African Peoples Party)
- Abdulahi Risikat Motunrayo (African Democratic Congress)
- Anjorin John Temitayo (Action Peoples Movement)
- Abdulkarim-Adisa Maryam Ayoola-Fadekemi (Labour Party)
- Adepoju Adekunle (National Rescue Movement)
- Lawal Abdulhakeem Toyin (New Nigeria Peoples Party)
- Suleiman Abdulrasheed Olufemi Omoda (National Democratic Congress)
- Alh Salma Abdul Yakini (Social Democratic Party)

In Kwara North:
- Kolo Baba Jiya (PDP)
- Mahmud Umar Muhammad (APC)
- Saliu Muritala A. (Accord)
- Ibrahim Ejiko Mohammed (Action Alliance)
- Temako Naomi (Action Democratic Party)
- Ibrahim Ramat (African Peoples Party)
- Bala Taoheed Usman (African Democratic Congress)
- Owolabi Felicia (Action Peoples Movement)
- Abdulgafar Sulaiman (National Rescue Movement)
- Tajudeen Abdullahi Mohammed (New Nigeria Peoples Party)
- Gana Thomas Audu (National Democratic Congress)

In Kwara South:
- Adewoye Olalekan (APC)
- Popoola Saheed (PDP)
- Oyedepo Iyiola (African Democratic Congress)
- Olarewaju Segun Oluwatoyin (African Peoples Party)
- Alabi Amos (Accord)
- Abdullahi Balogun (Action Democratic Party)
- Ajayi Olayemi Bidemi (Action Peoples Movement)
- Abdulgafar Sulaiman (National Rescue Movement)
- Omokanye Adedoyin Raymond (New Nigeria Peoples Party)
- Oni Samuel Omoniyi (National Democratic Congress)
- Anifowoshe Grace (Social Democratic Party)

The release of the candidates' list sets the stage for a competitive electoral process in Kwara State as political parties gear up for the upcoming elections, with the dynamics of party affiliations and legal disputes likely to play a significant role in the campaigns ahead.