By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates for the 2027 general elections, formally setting the stage for the contest for Nigeria’s presidency.
The final list, released in Abuja on Saturday and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains candidates sponsored by 18 political parties. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The list includes 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), Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), as well as candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), African Action Congress (AAC), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and other political parties.
The publication brings greater clarity to the political landscape ahead of the 2027 presidential election and officially identifies the candidates whose names will appear on the ballot, subject to any subsequent legal developments.
According to the list, 16 of the 18 presidential candidates are male, while two are female. The two female presidential candidates are Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
The commission also listed four women among the vice-presidential candidates. They are Peace Egobia Ofordile of the Allied Peoples Party, Nafisat Usaku Abubakar of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, Hajja Bintu Konto of the Labour Party and Patience Ndidi Key of the Young Progressive Party.
The candidates and their running mates, according to the final list published by INEC, are:
1. All Progressives Congress (APC)
Bola Ahmed Tinubu — Presidential Candidate
Kashim Shettima — Vice-Presidential Candidate
2. African Democratic Congress (ADC)
Atiku Abubakar — Presidential Candidate
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi — Vice-Presidential Candidate
3. Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
Peter Gregory Obi — Presidential Candidate
Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso — Vice-Presidential Candidate
4. Labour Party (LP)
Sunday Chibuzo Okereke — Presidential Candidate
Hajja Bintu Konto — Vice-Presidential Candidate
5. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Sandy Ojang Onor — Presidential Candidate
Umaru Babangida — Vice-Presidential Candidate
6. Action Alliance (AA)
Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje — Presidential Candidate
Shehu Hussaini — Vice-Presidential Candidate
7. Action Democratic Party (ADP)
Abbas-Bin Aliyu — Presidential Candidate
Chinazam Ike — Vice-Presidential Candidate
8. Allied Peoples Party (APP)
Kabiru Yusuf — Presidential Candidate
Peace Egobia Ofordile — Vice-Presidential Candidate
9. African Action Congress (AAC)
Omoyele Sowore — Presidential Candidate
Haruna Garba Magashi — Vice-Presidential Candidate
10. Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde — Presidential Candidate
Musa Lawal Daura — Vice-Presidential Candidate
11. Boot Party (BP)
Sunday Adenuga — Presidential Candidate
Usman Turaki Mustapha — Vice-Presidential Candidate
12. Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
Moses Olusoji Adebisi — Presidential Candidate
Nafisat Usaku Abubakar — Vice-Presidential Candidate
13. National Democratic Party (NDP)
Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori — Presidential Candidate
Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka — Vice-Presidential Candidate
14. National Rescue Movement (NRM)
Nkem Esther Okereke — Presidential Candidate
Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman — Vice-Presidential Candidate
15. Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)
Donald Duke — Presidential Candidate
Kabiru Rabiu — Vice-Presidential Candidate
16. Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo — Presidential Candidate
Usman Muhammed Bugaje — Vice-Presidential Candidate
17. Young Progressive Party (YPP)
Peter Ada Agada — Presidential Candidate
Patience Ndidi Key — Vice-Presidential Candidate
18. Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu — Presidential Candidate
Hassan Khalid — Vice-Presidential Candidate.
President Tinubu, who is seeking a second term on the APC platform, is listed alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is also on the final list as the presidential candidate of the ADC, with former Minister of Transportation and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Peter Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform, is listed this time as the presidential candidate of the NDC, with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.
The list also features former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke of the PRP, Omoyele Sowore of the AAC, Adewole Adebayo of the SDP and Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde of the APM.
The INEC publication indicates that the presidential candidates are aged between 35 and 79 years.
Atiku Abubakar, 79, is the oldest presidential candidate on the list, while Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the DLA, aged 35, is the youngest.
President Tinubu is listed at 74, while Peter Obi is 65, Donald Duke is 64, Oluseyi Makinde is 58 and Omoyele Sowore is 55.
The list shows that women remain a minority among the presidential candidates, with only two women contesting the top position. However, four women are among the vice-presidential candidates, indicating some level of female participation in the presidential tickets.
INEC has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The commission said the timetable was revised following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
The release of the final candidates’ list follows the conclusion of political party primaries held between April 23 and May 30, 2026, as well as subsequent nomination and substitution processes.
With the publication of the final list, the political parties and their candidates are expected to intensify their campaigns, grassroots mobilisation and policy engagements ahead of the election.
The 2027 presidential contest is expected to attract significant national attention as the candidates seek to convince millions of Nigerian voters on their respective programmes, leadership records, economic policies, security strategies and plans for national development.
INEC has also published the final lists of candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives elections, further advancing preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The publication of the final presidential list therefore marks another major milestone in Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections and provides voters with the official lineup of candidates seeking to lead the country from May 2027.
