ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday released the final list of presidential and vice-presidential candidates cleared to contest Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, clearing 18 candidates from various political parties for the January 16 presidential poll.
The list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published in Abuja, features incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking re-election alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Other major contenders include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), paired with former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and former Anambra State Governor Peter Gregory Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), running with former Kano State Governor Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde is listed as the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) with Musa Lawal Daura as his running mate. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is fielding Sandy Ojang Onor with Umaru Babangida, while the Labour Party (LP) has Sunday Chibuzo Okereke paired with Hajja Bintu Konto.
The full list of presidential candidates and their running mates is as follows:
- APC: Bola Tinubu / Kashim Shettima
- ADC: Atiku Abubakar / Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi
- NDC: Peter Gregory Obi / Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso
- LP: Sunday Chibuzo Okereke / Hajja Bintu Konto
- PDP: Sandy Ojang Onor / Umaru Babangida
- AA: Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje / Shehu Hussaini
- ADP: Aliyu Abbas-Bin / Chinazam Ike
- APP: Kabiru Yusuf / Peace Egobia Ofordile
- AAC: Omoyele Sowore / Haruna Garba Magashi
- APM: Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde / Musa Lawal Daura
- BP: Sunday Adenuga / Usman Turaki Mustapha
- DLA: Moses Olusoji Adebisi / Nafisat Usaku Abubakar
- NDP: Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori / Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka
- NRM: Nkem Esther Okereke / Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman
- PRP: Donald Duke / Kabiru Rabiu
- SDP: Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo / Usman Muhammed Bugaje
- YPP: Peter Ada Agada / Patience Ndidi Key
- ZLP: Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu / Hassan Khalid
Of the 18 presidential candidates, 16 are male and two are female: Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM). Four women feature as vice-presidential candidates. Ages on the list range from the mid-30s to nearly 80, with Atiku Abubakar, 79, listed as the oldest contender and Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the Democratic Labour Alliance among the youngest.
INEC also released the final list of candidates for the National Assembly elections, covering 109 Senate and 360 House of Representatives seats, bringing the total number of contestants for the presidential and National Assembly polls to nearly 4,900. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, following a revised timetable under the Electoral Act 2026.
The publication of the final list formalises the field for what is expected to be a highly competitive race, with the leading contenders already preparing campaigns ahead of the polls. No candidates on the presidential list declared any form of disability, according to the commission’s documents.
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