National Electoral Commission (INEC) |
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially published the final list of presidential and vice-presidential candidates who will contest Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
The publication, released on Saturday, September 12, 2026, formally confirms the candidates and political parties that will participate in the presidential race ahead of the January 16, 2027 election. The list was signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
According to the commission’s final list, 18 political parties have presidential candidates in the race. Among the major names are incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Peter Obi of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Other presidential contenders include Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Donald Duke of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as well as candidates representing several other political parties.
The final list also includes two female presidential candidates. They are Ada Elizabeth Frederick Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Nkem Esther Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM). Four women also appear among the vice-presidential candidates, highlighting a limited but notable female presence in the presidential contest.
INEC’s publication comes after political parties completed their presidential primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026. The commission subsequently went through the nomination and substitution process before releasing the final list.
The development is significant because it gives voters a clearer picture of the candidates who are officially in contention for Nigeria’s presidency. With the major political figures now confirmed, attention is expected to increasingly shift towards campaigns, party mobilisation, policy discussions and efforts to win voters across the country.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are expected to take place on February 6, 2027. INEC revised the electoral timetable following the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
The release of the final candidate list therefore marks another important stage in Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general election. As political parties move closer to full-scale campaigning, the focus will now be on how the various candidates present their programmes and convince Nigerians ahead of the polls.