Grace Adeleke
The Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of presidential candidates and their running mates for the January 2027 general elections, with incumbent President Bola Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi among the 18 candidates cleared to contest.
The final list, released by the electoral commission on Saturday in Abuja, contains the presidential candidates sponsored by 18 political parties seeking to produce Nigeria’s next President.
The document was signed by INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
Tinubu is flying the flag of the All Progressives Congress, while Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress and Obi is listed as the candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress.
Other presidential candidates on the final list include Adewole Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party; Oluseyi Makinde of the Allied People’s Movement; Donald Duke of the People’s Redemption Party; Chibuzor Okereke of the Labour Party; and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress.
The publication of the final list formally sets the stage for the presidential contest as the parties and their candidates move towards the 2027 election.
The INEC list also highlights the continued gender imbalance in Nigeria’s presidential politics.
Of the 18 presidential candidates, 16 are men, representing 88.9 per cent, while only two are women, accounting for 11.1 per cent.
The two female presidential candidates listed by the commission are Okwori Fredrick of the National Democratic Party and Dr Esther Okereke of the National Redemption Party.
The figures underline the wide disparity between male and female representation at the highest level of Nigeria’s electoral contest.
The situation is slightly different among the vice-presidential candidates, although men still constitute the majority.
According to the list, 14 of the 18 running mates are men, representing 77.8 per cent, while four are women, accounting for 22.2 per cent.
The female running mates are Ofordile Egobia of the African People’s Party, Abubakar Usaku of the Democratic Labour Alliance, Konto Bintu of the Labour Party and Patience Ndidi of the Young Progressive Party.
Alongside the presidential list, INEC also released the final lists of candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The publication of the lists is expected to provide voters with the definitive lineup of candidates participating in the various elective contests.
With the presidential candidates now officially published by the electoral commission, attention is expected to shift increasingly towards campaigns, party mobilisation, issue-based debates and efforts by the competing candidates to win voters across the country.
The 2027 presidential race is expected to attract significant national attention, particularly with the participation of Tinubu, Atiku and Obi, whose political networks and support bases cut across several regions of the country.
The electoral commission had earlier commenced preparations for the 2027 elections, with political parties expected to intensify their mobilisation and campaign activities in line with the electoral timetable.
The final candidate list is therefore expected to serve as an important reference point for voters, political parties, election observers and other stakeholders ahead of the poll.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the presidential election will be one of the major contests of the 2027 general elections, with the 18 candidates now officially placed on the ballot for the race to lead Africa’s most populous country.
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
