Susan Abayomi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of presidential candidates and their running mates for the 2027 general election, formally setting out the field for the January 2027 presidential contest.
The list, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains 18 presidential candidates sponsored by 18 political parties. The commission also published the final lists for the Senate and House of Representatives elections.
Among the prominent candidates on the list are incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Other candidates include Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Sunday Chibuzo Okereke of the Labour Party (LP), and Sandy Ojang Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The final list also includes Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje of the Action Alliance (AA), Abbas-Bin Aliyu of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Kabiru Yusuf of the Action Peoples Party (APP), Sunday Adenuga of the Boot Party (BP), Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Peter Ada Agada of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The list shows that 16 of the presidential candidates are male, while two are female. Four women are also listed among the vice-presidential candidates.
The major presidential tickets include Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima for the APC; Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi for the ADC; Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso for the NDC; and Oluseyi Makinde and Musa Lawal Daura for the APM.
INEC’s publication comes after political parties completed their primaries and submitted the particulars of their candidates to the commission.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027, under the commission’s revised timetable.
With the final list now published, political parties and candidates are expected to intensify their campaigns and mobilisation ahead of the presidential election.
