*As commission publishes list of candidates for January 16, 2027 presidential election
The race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027 has formally entered a new phase as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published the final list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates for the January 16, 2027 election.
The list, signed by the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains the names of candidates cleared to contest the presidential election on the platforms of 18 political parties.
Leading the crowded field 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).
Also in the presidential contest are former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Omoyele Sowore, Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Adewole Adebayo, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Sandy Ojang Onor.
Other candidates on the final ballot are 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), Sunday Adenuga of the Boot Party (BP), Moses Olusoji Adebisi of the Democratic Labour Alliance (DLA), Sunday Chibuzo Okereke of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Agada of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The final list also produced two female presidential candidates — Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Four women also made the list as vice-presidential candidates. They are Peace Egobia of the APP, Nafisat Usaku of the DLA, Hajja Konto Bintu of the LP and Patience Ndidi Key of the YPP.
The candidates cut across a wide age range, with the youngest presidential contender, Moses Adebisi of the DLA, listed at 35, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 79, is the oldest.
President Tinubu is listed at 74, while Peter Obi is 65, Donald Duke 64, Sandy Ojang Onor 60, and Makinde 58.
The vice-presidential candidates are aged between 35 and 80, with PRP running mate Rabiu Kabiru listed as the oldest at 80.
INEC’s publication comes after the political parties concluded their presidential primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026.
The commission also confirmed that the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections have been fixed for February 6, 2027.
The timetable was revised following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
With the publication of the final list, the 2027 presidential contest has moved beyond the stage of speculation and internal party manoeuvring to a clearly defined electoral battle.
The presence of Tinubu, Atiku, Obi and Makinde among the candidates is expected to intensify the struggle for votes across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, particularly as opposition forces seek to challenge the ruling APC.
Tinubu is seeking another term in office, while Atiku returns to the presidential contest on the platform of the ADC after years of seeking the nation’s highest political office.
Obi, who emerged as a major political force during the 2023 presidential election, is also back in the race, while Makinde’s candidacy adds another serving governor to the contest for Aso Rock.
Other candidates, including Sowore, Duke and Adebayo, are expected to focus their campaigns on issues ranging from governance and economic hardship to insecurity, institutional reform and the future direction of the country.
With the final list now released, attention is expected to shift to campaigns, nationwide mobilisation and the battle for the millions of votes that will determine who succeeds in the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
