2027 Election: INEC Releases Final List of 18 Presidential Candidates and Running Mates

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a final list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates for Nigeria’s 2027 general election, with men accounting for 16 of the presidential candidates and women making up the remaining two.

The list, contained in a statement signed by the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, features candidates from several political parties preparing to contest the presidential election.

Among the prominent names on the list is incumbent President Bola Tinubu, who is listed as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is listed under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi is named as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Other notable candidates include Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Sandy Ojang Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

The list also includes Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje of the Action Alliance (AA), Abbas-Bin Aliyu of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Yusuf Kabiru of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Sunday Adenuga of the Boot Party (BP).

Also listed are Adebisi Olusoji of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Sunday Okereke of the Labour Party (LP), Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Peter Agada of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Nwanyanwu Daberechukwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The two female presidential candidates on the list are Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM). The release puts the number of presidential contenders at 18 as the political parties move towards the 2027 election.